Whatever It Takes
by jlneveloff2
Summary: “Do you like monster trucks?” That was how it all started. A ’what if’ story that looks into how things might have been had a relationship between House and Cameron occured during the course of the show. More detailed summary inside... HouseCameron
1. Prologue

**Author: **jlneveloff

**Title:** Whatever It Takes

**Chapter:** Prologue & Chapter 1/?

**Rating:** PG 13 for now... possibly changing later on

**Pairings:** House/Cameron… with a possibility of Wilson/Cuddy later on :)

**Spoilers:** Starting from 'Sports Medicine' and going from there…

**Summary:** "Do you like monster trucks?" That was how it all started. A 'what if' story that looks into how things might have been if there was a relationship between House and Cameron during the course of the show. More detailed summary inside

**Disclaimer:** Um…nope…don't own. If I did, would I be writing fan fiction? Nope…I'd be on set fixing whatever the writers screwed up J David Shore and company own…

**DETAILED SUMMARY: **Hm…well this idea came to me and wouldn't leave me alone. I couldn't help wondering how things in the show would have gone if House and Cameron got together early in it's run. So basically, I'm taking the canon of the show and screwing it up :) Some events from the show will be changed to fit and the time line will be screwed up, particularly in the 'season two arc.' While I'm following canon to a point, I'm not so much focusing on what happened in the episodes to where I'm just repeating the episodes with a little shippy twist, but rather focusing on the scenes that aren't in the show, more like off screen moments. I don't plan on writing the differentials and all that medical stuff (got the show for that). I just want to focus on a relationship between House and Cameron that's as real as I can make it. They'll experience difficulties and all the ups and downs of a relationship as it fits in with what was written in the show….

Also, my House might seem a little different from other fanfic writers… I have this feeling that House is a closet romantic and that once you succeed in bringing down his walls he can be (somewhat) open (at least when the mood suits him ;))…and I don't think he would have a problem with the four letter "L" word, once he works himself into saying it the first time. I'm just basing this off what we know about him and Stacy (I could be wrong, but it's my story and I'm not ;))… he didn't seem to have a problem telling her loved her in 3 Stories….that and the corsage he gave Cameron just screamed "Romantic!" to me J Also this story starts before the whole Stacy thing…and the Ketamine thing…

I do hope that makes sense and that I can pull this off… It's been forever since I've written anything but research papers. And not just any research papers, art history papers, which are an entirely different animal than others.

This is my first House story... so hopefully it won't be too out of character :)

* * *

**Whatever It Takes**

_I'll do whatever it takes  
__To turn this around  
__I know what's at stake  
__I know that I've let you down  
__And if you give me a chance  
__Believe that I can change  
__I'll keep us together  
__Whatever it takes _

"Whatever It Takes" Lifehouse

**

* * *

**

**Prologue**

"Do you like monster trucks?"

That was how it all started.

A simple question followed by an awkward impromptu invitation. An invitation that never would have happened had his best friend not turn it down. If his friend did not have an oncology lecture to give, which really was just a cover for having dinner with his ex-girlfriend, he never would have asked her. Never would have thought about it.

But the turn of events had led Gregory House to stand there trying to draw up the courage to ask Allison Cameron to go with him. He was out of practice when it came to that sort of thing. Blame it on his sparkling personality.

She remembers her shock at the question, or rather the statement. He never actually asked to her go with him. Instead, she asked him if he was asking her to go with him. He had somehow turned the conversation around to where it seemed as though she was asking _**him **_to go with her.

House had quickly answered in the affirmative that, yes, he was asking her to go with him. Was it a date? Yes, a date, but without the date part, whatever that was supposed to mean.

All the while Cameron had stood there, mouth gaping open, in shock. She wasn't quite sure what to do or what to say. He had taken that as a rejection, and left the room. She eventually found her voice and followed him, a burning question on her mind.

"What do I wear?"

It was, dare she think it, fun. Who would have thought that her curmudgeonly boss was capable of having and being fun. They had actually enjoyed each other's company. She saw him laugh and joke around without the need to be insulting.

That was how it started.

After that night, House and Cameron began to see each other after work. Just to hang out, enjoying the company, two or three times a week. They had both been alone for far too long. They would either meet at one of their apartments and watch old movies and order take out or they would go out someplace. It didn't really matter what they did, as long as it was together.

Cameron found herself falling in love with him.

She tried to stop herself from feeling these emotions, but she was like a moth to a flame. It might not be a good thing, but the pull was far to great to ignore. She was allowed to see sides of him that never surfaced at work. And she loved it. She loved him. She tried her best to hide her feelings, and she succeeded, at least to her knowledge. It was possible that once or twice something leaked through but House never said anything about it. She knew he cared about her, but she wasn't going to pressure him into doing anything he wasn't comfortable with.

House never gave her the impression that he saw her more than a friend. Cameron knew from her conversations with Wilson that House never opened up to people, especially women who could break his heart. She knew of the past heartache he had experienced and although she did not know all the details, she knew it had impacted him enormously. House wasn't someone who loved easily.

So, imagine her surprise when _**he **_made the first move.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Don't own them.**

* * *

**Chapter One **

Allison Cameron woke with a jerk.

She had been deep in a peaceful slumber when the bed shifted and heavy weight landed on her side. She opened her eyes to the darkness and allowed them a few seconds to adjust. She glanced around the dark room and was surprised by the unfamiliar yet distinctively familiar surroundings. This was definitely not her bedroom. She let her gaze wander and found the source of her disturbance. A hand had made its way to her waist and now held her tightly.

The hand belonged to Dr. Gregory House, her boss.

She continued to look around the room, letting her mind become more clear as memories from the night before came to her. Last night was Wednesday and she had found herself at House's apartment. It was fast becoming a place she spent a lot of time at. Although this was the first time overnight.

Ever since the monster truck rally, the two of them would either hang out at her place or his at least once a week, sometimes more. They had quickly fallen into a routine and she was surprised that it had actually continued for this long. She thought he would have grown tired of her by now and go back to either just hanging out with Wilson or his scotch and vicodin.

Not that she was complaining.

With her feelings for him growing everyday, she would take what she could get. If only she could figure out how exactly he felt. But she had made the decision not to push anything just in case it was one sided. Unrequited love was never fun. Better to keep quiet. Although, recently, she began to get the feeling that perhaps there was more than one side.

And if last night was any indication, there definitely was.

Cameron turned around to face House, who was still deep asleep. She took a deep breath and let her mind wander back to last night, trying to remember the details that led her to her current position.

She had stopped by his place as per the usual, his favorite scotch in hand. Earlier in the day, House had agreed, vehemently protesting all the while, to present a speech about Eastbrook Pharmaceutical's new ACE inhibitor to try and keep his team intact. If he failed to do so, power-hungry Vogler would pull the plug on the entire department. Cameron had stopped over to see if she could provide some help, or at the very least, make sure he actually wrote the damn thing.

House had complained about the entire situation, using some rather colorful words to describe the tyrant. During his tirade, Cameron teased him about actually caring about them and not wanting to lose his team.

After that, it was almost a blur. She wasn't quite sure how a seemingly innocent conversation turned into a heavy make-out session on his couch, which inevitably led to the bedroom.

But, she did know that _he _started it.

* * *

"_Are you seriously going to give that speech?" Cameron asked as she pulled a wine glass down from the kitchen shelf, followed by a scotch glass and filled it with their respective drinks. _

"_For the last time, yes." Cameron heard House respond to her question as she made her way back into the living area. House was lounging on the sofa, pen and paper in his hands and medical literature about the new ACE inhibitor spread out on the coffee table. She handed him the scotch glass, which he took with a nod of thanks. _

_She took a seat next to him and reached for the booklet about the new drug. She thumbed through it while House continued to struggle with his speech. "You know, Vogler tried to proposition me the other day," Cameron said. _

_House stopped writing and turned to her. "Really?" A dark look had passed over his face that she wasn't sure how to interpret. "Want me to shove my cane up his ass? Make him think twice about propositioning you again?"_

"_That's okay," she replied casually, continuing to thumb through the booklet. "He'd just charge you with assault. Then there'd be the whole jail thing. Just too messy," she finished, flashing him a smile._

"_Damn, spoil my fun," House deadpanned. _

"_No, he just wanted info on you. Guess he wanted to know if you were really going to go through this speech. He looked really upset when I told him you were." She tossed the booklet down and faced him, "You **are **going to give the speech right?" _

_House sighed. "No, I'm just reading this 'cause it's oh, so exciting." Cameron wasn't amused. "Yes," he replied seriously. "Are you going to ask again?" He tried to suppress the exasperation in his voice, but failed._

"_Okay, sorry." _

"_I'm just doing this so I can get him get off my back," House said, as though he had to justify his reasons. _

_Cameron nodded, not buying his explanation. "Okay, right. So it isn't because you've gotten attached to us?"_

"_Hell…no," he replied, as though the mere thought of any type of attachment was offensive. He returned his eyes to his paper and missed Cameron's knowing smile. _

"_Yes, you have," she teased him, a brilliant smile on her face. "Dr. Gregory House, misanthropic extraordinaire, has gotten attached to his team. Will wonders ever cease?" _

_Try as he might, House couldn't stop the grin from forming on his face. The Cameron away from work was a completely different person from the professional doctor he had known her previously. She had a wit that could match his and she was fun to be around. He wouldn't admit to anyone, much less himself, but he looked forward to spending time with her, even if it was just to watch television. She was right in the fact that he had gotten attached to his team, but more accurately, she was the one he was attached to._

_He pulled himself back to reality to hear her next words. "I gotta go tell the guys the news," she said, still teasing him as she stood up._

"_Oh, no, you don't," House said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back down to the couch. She landed with a thud right next to him. He didn't give himself enough time to think over his next actions as he quickly pulled her close and placed his lips over hers. _

_He pulled away before she could respond and looked in her eyes, shock in his eyes as though he didn't believe what he just did. She looked at him, eyes wide trying to comprehend his actions. They continued to stare at each other before House leaned in again, kissing her softly. _

_This time, Cameron responded with fervor. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. Not one to be outdone, House pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist, holding her close. She straddled her legs around his hips, minding his leg. The kiss became much more passionate than either anticipated. The sexual tension that had filled the room anytime they were together was finally being relieved. _

_House pulled away from her lips and began to trail kisses down Cameron's neck. He was rewarded with a moan when he hit a particularly erogenous area just underneath her ear. He moved his hands underneath her shirt, running his hands over her back.. He vaguely felt Cameron move her hands to the buttons on his shirt and slowly unbutton them. He pulled back slightly and whispered in her ear. "We probably shouldn't be doing this." _

"_You started it," Cameron reminded him, running her hands through his hair. She pulled his face back to hers and resumed kissing him. _

"_Yeah, but I'm your boss," House responded between kisses. "I'm twice your age…"_

"_No, you're not," she retorted. "I don't care that you're my boss or how old you are. Besides, you're younger than my brother," she said, offhandedly, before bringing her lips back to his, attempting to lure him back to her._

_House pulled away slightly. "You have a brother?" _

_Cameron sighed and leaned back, becoming more and more frustrated with him. It seemed that nothing could keep his natural curiosity at bay, even if sex was on the line. Although she was beginning to get the feeling that it was more his nervousness keeping him from continuing than anything else. "I haven't seen him in fifteen years. Now is **really **not the time to talk about it right now. Later." _

_She leaned in to kiss him again, but was again interrupted by him opening his mouth to ask another question. Sensing his intentions, she placed her finger to his lips to keep him quiet. "If you don't shut up and finish what you started, I'm going to kill you," she threatened._

"_No, you won't. You're too -" House was interrupted by Cameron kissing him. She had finally had enough of his talk and figured the best way to shut him up was to take matters into her own hands. It worked. He was still for a second before participating with equal enthusiasm._

"_House, bedroom, now."_

* * *

Cameron sighed as she settled deeper in House's arms, taking in his warmth. She wasn't sure where their relationship was going. She knew that he could be flighty at times and regarding his initial reluctance to continue down the road they were going, she wasn't sure how he would act when he woke up. It didn't matter that it all started because of him. It didn't matter that he had shown her a gentle side that she never thought could exist underneath the gruff exterior. But perhaps the fact that he had would be enough for him to shun her.

She felt herself grow more and more nervous at the thought of how he would react. She hated that her insecurities were getting the better of her. Worse case scenario would be that House kicked her out and pretend that the last couple of months didn't happen. But she didn't think she could deal with that. Her feelings for him had definitely passed the point of no return.

Her anxiety finally overwhelmed her, and she carefully extracted herself from his arms, trying not to disturb him. She searched the room for her clothes and silently redressed as quickly as she could. She let her gaze linger on him for a moment before silently slipping through the door.


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Don't own them... sigh**

**Chapter Two **

**Chapter Episode: Role Model**

As per usual, Cameron arrived to the office earlier than the others. She decided that, despite her nervousness regarding House, it would be too telling not to resume her normal routine. She had gone straight back to her apartment after leaving his. There, she had changed her clothes and then made her way to work, trying to keep the feelings of apprehension at bay.

She made her way to the coffee machine and made a fresh batch. House would never forgive her if he was deprived that first cup of coffee. That done, she went to House's office and picked up his mail. It wasn't in her job description but if she didn't do it, it'd never get done and House would eventually drown in his own mail. As soon as she sat down, Chase came sauntering in the room. "Morning," he said, acknowledging her.

She returned his greeting by flashing him a small smile before going back to sorting through the mail. Chase sat down at the table and grabbed the newspaper to begin working on today's crossword. The two of them sat in comfortable silence waiting for the other two members of the department to make their way to work.

Foreman entered the conference room just as Cameron was finishing up the last few pieces of House's mail. He greeted her and Chase as he placed his belongings on the table top. He watched Cameron out of the corner of his eye and resisted rolling his eye at her actions. She was typing up a response to a request that was more than likely polite and sympathetic, everything House wasn't. She'd then seal the deal with a loopy 'G'. "Are you doing his mail…again?"

"You know as well as I do that if someone doesn't do it, it'll never get done. And that someone just happens to be me," she replied, good-naturedly.

"You could always tie him down, force him to do it," Chase said, not looking up from his crossword.

"Whose to say she hasn't already done that?" House's voice, laced with innuendo, filtered through the room as he made his way into the office. Foreman rolled his eyes at House's comment while Chase cracked a grin. House's gaze drifted to Cameron as she desperately tried to conceal a blush from rising in her cheeks, her embarrassment keeping her eyes glued to the letter in front of her. He kept his eyes on her for a few more seconds, trying to gauge if she was feeling any guilt over the previous night's escapades.

Unable to determine anything, House turned his attention to the rest of the department. Time to focus on work. "Did the Senator's second HIV test come in yet?"

"Yeah," Cameron finally spoke up, reaching for the file on the desk. "It's negative." She handed the file out to House. He reached and took it from her, but not before his eyes connected with hers for the first time since he arrived. There was a moment of tension before she turned away.

House flipped through the file briefly before demanding the attention of the team to begin yet another differential on the dying Senator, since now, they had no idea what was wrong with him.

--------------

It was lunch time and House was bored and starving. He sat alone in his office, thinking. It had been several hours since he sent his team away to run the tests on Senator Wright and he had yet to find a moment when he could talk to Cameron alone. He wanted to know what exactly was going on and he felt that she wanted the same thing. Last night had been unplanned, but not entirely unexpected. Cameron, whether she intended to or not, had been drawing him in slowly and surely over the last couple of months.

And last night had been the breaking point.

He wasn't really sure what compelled him to kiss her. They had been joking around and she was heavily teasing him. Then she stood up, made like she was going to leave, and he just reacted. Yes, he had thrown out excuses about why they shouldn't continue, but if he was one to be honest with himself, none of them really bothered him all that much. He wanted to give Cameron an out in case she wasn't sure. But, clearly she was.

At least last night, she was.

The last thing he expected was to wake up alone. Her side of the bed was still slightly warm when he woke, so it hadn't been that long since she had left. Last night had been an eye-opening experience and he realized what he had been missing for so long. He thought she had felt the same way, but why did she leave? He needed to talk to someone. Preferably someone who thought like a woman.

Wilson would do.

House stood from his chair and went outside to the balcony that connected his and Wilson's office. Carefully hopping over the brick partition, he peeked into the Wilson's office. He was alone and seemed to be eating lunch while working on patient files. In other words, he wasn't doing anything really important. House didn't bother knocking as he entered Wilson's office.

To his credit, Wilson didn't even flinch at the sudden disturbance. He continued to write in the file, pausing briefly to greet his intruder with a nod. He took a bite of his lunch as House sat down heavily in the chair across from Wilson. House leaned forward and attempted to snatch the bag of potato chips away but was stopped short by a slap to the hand. "Get your own, House," Wilson said, returning his gaze to the open file.

"Why, when I have you to get it for me?" House retorted and then quickly snatched up the chips while Wilson was distracted by his file. Wilson fought a sigh when he realized that he had been duped.

Silence fell over the pair as Wilson continued to work on patient files. His eyes occasionally glanced at House over his files, trying to figure out what he wanted. House sat in silence, munching on the stolen chips, and looking around the office.

House was unsure of how to broach the topic of him and Cameron. It wasn't often House approached Wilson about relationship advice. Actually, this would probably be the first time. And most likely the last. The man had been divorced twice before and probably working on his third now. Not exactly prime relationship material, but House didn't exactly have a large group of friends.

He shifted his gaze outside toward the balcony and decided that a direct approach would probably be the best course of action.

"I had sex with Cameron."

He was rewarded by the sound of Wilson choking on his lunch. House turned his gaze back to Wilson, who was frantically reaching for his drink. After taking a huge gulp to clear his throat, he turned back to House, who was staring at him with wide eyes, feigning innocence. After one last cough to clear his throat, Wilson spoke, "I didn't realize you were dating her."

"I'm not," House corrected. At Wilson's raised eyebrows, he elaborated. "We skipped the dating part, went straight to the sex."

"How the hell did that happen?" Wilson had yet to recover from the surprise of the news. He continued to stare at House with a perpetual look of shock.

"Well, Jimmy, when two people _really _like each other -" House started but was promptly interrupted by Wilson, who held up a hand, signaling him to shut up.

"I meant, how the hell did you get her any where near your bed? Did you drug her?"

"What? I'm not allowed to hang out with more than one person?" House asked, sounding mildly insulted at the insinuation that no one, other than Wilson himself, would want to be near him for extended periods of time without some form of chemical encouragement or a paycheck.

"No," Wilson replied. "Wait. You've been hanging out with her?" This bit of news was getting more and more interesting as far as Wilson was concerned.

"Got you to thank for that actually," House replied, twirling his cane around in the air. "Ever since you ditched me and the Grave Digger for a blast from the past."

"That was," Wilson struggled to recall the memory. "That was months ago. How the hell did you hide this from me?"

"Aww, is poor Jimmy worried that his special place as my trusty sidekick is getting downsized?" House continued to joke his way through the conversation and it was beginning to irritate Wilson. But irritating Wilson was fun.

"House, shut up," Wilson's exasperation finally got the best of him. "Why the hell are you telling me this _now_?" House looked around the office, lips pressed together as though he was forcing himself to stay silent. "Well? Are you going to tell me?" Wilson asked, becoming more frustrated.

"You told me to shut up," House replied simply. He took great glee in Wilson's angry groan as a small smirk crossed his face.

"House! Either tell me or get out so I can get back to work."

Clearly, House had officially worn out his welcome. He took a deep sigh. Guess he couldn't stall anymore. "She left in the middle of the night."

"And you want me to what? Tell you why she left?" Wilson asked. "How the hell am I supposed to know?"

"I figured with your _vast _experience with women, you'd have all the inside info," House replied.

"Talk to her."

"That's it?" House gave Wilson a disgusted look, almost as though he couldn't believe he spent all this time just to get that in response.

"Hey," Wilson defended. "You asked me for my advice. And believe it or not, I've actually found that you get the best response by talking to the woman in question. So, talk to her."

House gave a heavy sigh. "Fine," he grumbled and hauled himself to his feet. He made his way towards the main office door and limped down the hall. He figured he might as well find her and get it over with.

--------------

Cameron leaned over the microscope, trying to focus on the specimen that was on the slide. She hadn't been to the office for several hours for fear of ending up alone with House. She knew they needed to talk about last night but she wanted to delay it for as long as she could. She could only guess as to what House would say, but a part of her really didn't want to hear his reasons for why it should never have happened in the first place. She sighed softly and pushed back the thoughts of House to the back of her mind. She had to focus on the patient right now. She jotted down her findings and returned her attention to the microscope.

As she studied the specimen, she heard the whoosh of the lab door opening. The familiar thump-step gait told her it was House. She looked up at him briefly as he made his way across the lab and leaned against the counter. She took a deep breath and decided to try and act normal, even though her insides were squirming.

"Hey, what's up?" She asked, looking up briefly at him before returning her gaze back to the microscope.

There was a few seconds of silence as Cameron felt House's eyes watching her. She tried to keep herself under control.

"You left," he replied, dragging the words out.

Cameron froze before turning around, crossing her arms across her chest and meeting his eyes. "Yeah, I did."

House continued to stare at her with intense eyes. She fought the urge to squirm and forced herself to hold the gaze. "Why?"

Cameron opened her mouth to answer but closed it when nothing came to her. She broke eye contact and took a deep breath. "I didn't know what to do," she eventually answered.

"You could have stayed," she heard House answer quietly. She brought her eyes back to his and gave him a questioning look. "If you wanted to," he added.

She took her time answering him. She really had no idea what to say. Part of her was thrilled that he didn't tell her that it was a mistake, yet there she couldn't help but be a little cautious about how she approached him, just in case he hadn't gotten around to it yet. "I… I, um… I had to go home and change." It wasn't the best answer she could come up with, but her mind was reeling and she was still confused.

House tilted his head to the side as he considered her. He pushed himself off the counter and walked toward her. He stopped inches away from, as close as he could get without touching her. He towered over her as he leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. When he pulled back, she looked at him with wide eyes. She had not been expecting that. "You thought I would regret it," he said, simply. She turned her head away and gave House his answer to the question.

"You don't?" She asked.

"Do you?"

Cameron's eyes snapped back to his at his question. "No," she replied, quietly. "No, I don't'."

"Good," House said, before bringing his lips back down to hers.

Cameron allowed herself to indulge in the kiss for a few seconds before she remembered that they were at work, in the lab, which had glass walls. Anyone could walk by and see them. She pulled away, to House's protest, and took a step back. The second she stepped back, the lab door whooshed open again and a lab technician stepped in. House and Cameron both took another step away from each other as the lab technician rummaged through some files, apparently looking for something. They stood quietly as the lab tech finally found what he was looking for and left without saying a word to them. Cameron found herself taking a deep breath of relief.

"We should probably keep this quiet at work," she said softly.

"Yeah," House replied, just as soft. "You're right. Don't want people clambering for the same perks."

Cameron gave him a small smile in return. He took a step towards her, leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Come over tonight."

"Okay," she replied, allowing a full smile to grace her features. House nodded and began to walk to the door. He pushed the door open and stepped through it, but not before calling over his shoulder, ignoring the onlookers passing him in the hall.

"See you tonight. And this time, bring a change of clothes."

So much for keeping it quiet.


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer : Don't Own Them. :(**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**Episodes: Role Model & Babies and Bathwater**

Despite House's rather revealing statement when he left the lab the other day, the hospital had remained blissfully ignorant to the burgeoning relationship between the curmudgeonly diagnostician and his young immunologist. And it was just the way they wanted it.

They had decided that if they didn't let it affect their working relationship, then there was no harm in hiding it. Factored into the decision was the very real possibility that the hospital board would decide that their relationship was compromising the department and that House was implementing favoritism and Cameron would be transferred, no questions asked. So, they operated on a 'don't-ask-don't-tell' basis.

Although, if they were found out, they wouldn't deny it.

Four days later and a blissful weekend later, it was finally time for House to present his speech for Vogler's new drug. Naturally, it didn't go as planned. Cameron could tell that House really didn't want to be there as he sat on the stage awaiting his turn at the microphone. But that didn't excuse what he did, or rather, didn't do. She knew he had a speech; she had read over it the night before. He just didn't read it. Instead, he let his mouth run on and words just kept coming. Words that _**really **_should have stayed in.

And that was why Cameron found herself standing in front of House's door, arms crossed angrily over her chest and listening to the sound of the piano through the door. After his 'speech,' House had limped off the stage and gone straight home. She stayed with Chase, Foreman, Cuddy and Wilson as they sat in disbelief and anger over what House had just done. Although, no one should have really been surprised. It was House after all.

Cameron raised her hand and knocked. After a few long seconds, she heard the lock disengaging and the door slowly opened. House fully opened the door and let her inside. After she cross the threshold, she turned on him.

"What the _hell _was that?"

House tilted his head and regarded her. She glared at him, anger in her eyes. He took in her closed off stance, deep breathing and intense gaze. He found himself smirking before he could stop himself.

"What?" Cameron asked, frustrated.

"Has anyone told you, you are unbelievably sexy when you're pissed?" He replied, making a show of letting his eyes trail up and down her body. "I should definitely piss you off more often."

Cameron sighed and rolled her eyes. "You are so unbelievable." She dropped her arms to her waist and began to pace around the small room.

House watched her angry movements with amusement. "Why are you so pissed anyway?"

Cameron turned to him, a shocked expression on her face. "You aren't serious. Please tell me you aren't serious."

House shrugged as he made his way to the couch and sat down. "Unclench, Allison," he said, grabbing the remote and turning on the television. He flipped through several channels, while Cameron continued to stand, hands on her waist, frustration in her eyes.

Sighing, Cameron ran a hand over her face, trying to retain some composure. "Why didn't you just read the damn speech, Greg?" she asked. "That's all you had to do."

"Yeah, and lie to the American public and all that crap," he replied, his eyes still on the TV.

"Right, and you never lie," Cameron said sarcastically, staring down at him. Frustration was creeping into her voice and she took a series of deep breaths to calm herself.

House tore his gaze from the television and up at Cameron's frustrated face. House sighed and looked away. "Okay, yeah, _maybe _I screwed up," he admitted.

Cameron nodded, knowing that was the closet thing to an apology she was going to get. She moved to the couch and sat down next to House, but not touching him. She leaned forward, rested her elbows on her knees and spoke. "What do you think Vogler's going to do now?"

House shrugged, noncommittally. He cast a glance at her, noticing that she looked worried. He reached out and ran a hand over her back before pulling her closer to him. She willingly followed his lead and leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. House wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her tight against him. "Don't worry," he said. "I'm not going to fire you."

"It's not you I'm worried about," Cameron replied. "It's Vogler I'm worried about."

"I'll deal with him," House said before running his hand gently up and down her back. He felt her relax in his arms and he moved his hand to tease the skin under her light blue sweater, slowly moving higher and higher, leaving no doubt in her mind his intentions.

Cameron lifted her head from his shoulder and House leaned down to kiss her. She eagerly returned the kiss, reaching up for his shoulders and pushing him down to lay across the couch. House's arms tightened around her waist, pulling her with him so that she was stretched out on top of him.

The kiss deepened and continued for several minutes before House moved his hands underneath Cameron's sweater and attempted to pull it over her head. Cameron involuntarily moaned as his hands skirted across her back and then quickly pulled away. House groaned in disappointment as he felt her push herself off him. He opened his eyes as she pulled herself to her feet.

"Where the hell are you going?" He asked, finding it somewhat difficult to speak in his state of arousal.

"Home," she replied simply as she readjusted her sweater.

"You're just gonna leave me like this?" He asked, disbelief written on his face. He squirmed uncomfortably on the couch.

"Yep," she replied, not missing a beat. She ran her hands through her hair, attempting to remove the small tangles that had appeared during their make-out session.

"Why?" His voice was beginning to sound desperate. He reached up and attempted to pull her back down on the couch.

"Still pissed at you," she replied, allowing him to tug her onto his lap. She straddled him in a manner not entirely unlike their first night together. She grinded her hips against his, drawing a long groan from him.

"Allison, you can't leave me like this." He was close to begging and was clearly in need of finding relief from his current predicament.

She smiled down at him before placing a small kiss on his lips. House attempted to deepen the kiss, but she pulled away and looked at him, an amused look on her face. "You'll be fine."

"Allison," House whined, his sexual frustration overpowering his pride. He tightened his arms around her waist to keep her from jumping up. She retaliated by reaching behind her, grabbing a hold of his hands and pulled them back around and placed them at his side with her knees holding them in place.

"Not until you talk to Vogler," she replied, punctuating each word with a brief kiss to his lips. She quickly pulled herself off him and stepped back out of his reached as House stared at her through hooded eyes.

"You're bribing me with sex?" House asked, incredulous, after finally finding his voice.

"Yep," she replied. She reached walked around the back of the couch and picked up her purse and keys.

"Fine, I'll just call a hooker," House tossed out, trying one last time to keep her there.

"No, you won't," Cameron stated confidently as she opened the door and stepped through, closing it behind her.

House groaned in frustration as he heard the door close and ran a shaky hand over his face. The girl already knew how to play him to get what she wanted. He took a series of deep breaths and attempted to think of the worst things he could to try and dissuade his arousal before deciding that a cold shower was in order.

She was right, he wasn't going to call a hooker.

* * *

House stepped into the hospital, a large baseball cap and dark sunglasses acting as a rather crude disguise. He let his eyes quickly scan the lobby, keeping an eye out for the foreboding appearance of Vogler and the equally unwanted arrival of Cuddy. He knew a confrontation was inevitable, but he wanted to delay it as long as possible.

Not seeing either one of them, he quickly made his way to the opening elevator as quickly as he could and stepped inside. He punched the button to close the door to keep other people out and then pressed the button for the fourth floor.

When the doors opened to the fourth floor, House stealthily pressed himself against the wall of the elevator and peeked around the door to see if Vogler was in the vicinity. Satisfied that he was in the clear, House stepped out and made his way to the Diagnostic Department, looking through the glass walls to make sure Volger wasn't waiting for him. He only saw his team sitting around the conference table, deep in their morning rituals.

Once inside the safety of his office, he quickly drew the blinds and locked the door, while Cameron, Chase and Foreman watched in amusement through the paned glass. He discarded the hat and sunglasses on his desk before making his way into the conference room. House once again made for the blinds and closed them.

"Hiding from Vogler," Foreman chuckled as House made sure that nothing could be seen through the blinds. "You know he's going to figure out where you are sooner or later."

"I'm okay with later," House responded, before returning his attention to the blinds.

"You sure about that?" Cameron spoke up, raising one eyebrow in a questioning gaze.

"Sometimes the wait makes it even better," House replied, his voice tinged with innuendo that went unnoticed by Foreman and Chase.

Cameron successfully hid her blush as she responded, "I'm gonna hold you to that." She returned her attention back to the mail as House continued to peek through the blinds, keeping an eye out for Vogler.

"Hey, Chase, go do my clinic hours," House ordered, turning his attention back to his team.

Chase turned in his chair, tossing his crossword puzzle to the side. "I already did them," he said, irritated.

"Then go do Cameron's," House demanded. He figured that even though Vogler wouldn't let him fire Chase, that didn't mean he couldn't make his life difficult. It was, as far as House was concerned, Chase was getting off easy. If he had his way, Chase would be halfway to Australia already tail tucked between his legs. House did not take to betrayal well.

Chase took a deep breath, accepting his fate and quickly left the conference room in a huff.

"What makes you think that this won't be the first place Vogler'll look for you?" Foreman asked, amusement in his voice.

"I'm expecting it to be," House replied. "This way I can watch and see if he's coming and then make a run for Wilson's office," House explained as if it was the most obvious reason in the world.

Foreman chuckled as he rolled his eyes. He returned his attention back to the medical journal in front of him and resumed reading. Cameron allowed a small smile to surface. "So, you're just going to sit here all day peeking through those blinds?" she asked.

"If I have to," House replied. Suddenly, he saw the large figure of Vogler exit the elevator and begin to walk down the hall. "Gotta go."

House picked up his cane and quickly limped to the balcony door and with more grace than a person with a limp should have, he scaled the partition. He swiftly opened the door of Wilson's office, paying no heed to the possibility that he could have a patient, and stepped inside and promptly froze.

Edward Vogler was standing in the middle of Wilson's office. He had been in the middle of speaking to Wilson when House had entered. He stopped talking and turned in House's direction when he heard the door open. "Ah, Dr. House, just the man I was looking for."

"Hey, Ed, just the man I was avoiding," House retorted, giving him a half-smile.

Vogler gave a small chuckle before becoming solemn. "Dr. House, we need to talk," he stated seriously, leaving no doubt in House's mind that he meant business.

"Yeah, guess we do, Ed."

Apparently, later was here rather than sooner.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N:** After being bogged down with two art history research papers, I stumbled across a huge road block. Apparently the papers sucked out all my good writing… and I have two more on the horizon… sigh Next semester it should be easier… I'm only taking one art history class.

I'm not entirely pleased with this chapter. I had a difficult time writing it and I think I relied on the episode too much… I wanted to explore how things would be different now that Cam did not quit, but my muse just refused to let me go any deeper… sigh I have no idea why I had a hard time writing… I had planned out the chapter in advance weeks ago… but it just took a different route…

But it's over and hopefully the next one will be better :)

On with the chapter :)

And thank you so much for the feedback on the last chapter :)

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**Episode: Babies and Bathwater**

Cameron stepped out of the elevator and made her way towards the diagnostic department after her stint in the clinic. She perused through their patient's file. Cameron hoped that it wasn't preeclampsia but she knew that the odds were against Naomi. Three miscarriages in the past seemed to point to that being the most likely diagnosis. And then there was the early labor that had just occurred while Chase and Foreman had her in the M.R.A. machine.

As she got closer to the conference room, she noticed that the blinds were open and that House was rummaging through the cabinets in the corner of the conference room, apparently looking for something. She quietly opened the door and stepped inside. "Vogler find you?" She asked.

House snapped his head towards her at the sound of her voice. "Yeah, we had a nice little chat," he responded before returning his attention back to destroying his immediate area. In his frustration he slammed the cabinet door shut and turned around. He gave a little start at the sight of Cameron suddenly appearing in front of him. In her hand, she held up a pack of sugar.

"Looking for this?" she asked, waving the sugar packet. House narrowed his eyes briefly, not appreciating her slight amusement at his annoyance at being unable to find the sugar. She gave him a smile as he took the packet away from her and emptied it into his coffee mug. Cameron leaned against the cabinet, watching him.

"What did he say?" she asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

House finished stirring his coffee before answering her. "He demanded my resignation tomorrow morning."

Cameron's eyes widened as she took in his words. "What?"

"Course I'm not going to do it," House responded in a tone that one would use when speaking to a small child. It had the desired effect as Cameron rolled her eyes. "He knows that, which is probably why they're having a board meeting all about little ol' me."

"What are you going to do?"

"Absolutely nothing," House responded, a smug look on his face. Cameron gave him a questioning look, urging him to continue. "They need an unanimous vote to get rid of me. I've got Wilson, and maybe even Cuddy."

Cameron sighed, this whole ordeal was starting to get to her. She just wished it would end. "I hope you're right."

"I'm always right," he replied, a hint of arrogance coloring his voice.

"Right." Cameron answered, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "Eventually, anyway."

House gave her questioning glare but before he could inquire as to what that statement meant, Chase and Foreman entered the room and took a seat at the table. Cameron followed suit and sat in her normal seat at the table. House remained standing near the coffee machine.

"She might make it to full term," Chase began, catching House and Cameron up to speed on the patient's current state. "The contractions are less frequent and not well organized. It's what I said: preeclampsia. A little stress from the M.R.A., and she pops right into labor."

Foreman gave Chase a perplexed look. "What about the myasthenia?"

Chase scoffed. "Come on, she didn't seem that weak."

"She choked," Foreman stated, as though he thought Chase was an idiot for ignoring the obvious.

"What did she choke on?" Cameron spoke up for the first time.

"A little bit of cooked pear," Foreman answered her. "Doesn't matter. Shows weakness."

"Muscle weakness isn't a symptom of preeclampsia," Cameron said, directing her answer towards Chase, who didn't seem to want to be proved wrong.

"That's _way _past muscle weakness," House chimed in. All eyes turned to him, waiting for him to continue. "Did you do an upper endoscopy?"

"You think there's something obstructing her esophagus?" Chase asked, his attention perking up.

"It's a possibility," House answered as he edged towards his office door. He opened it before looking back towards his team. "And check her eyelids," he added before slipping into his office.

The team turned back towards each other, a questioning glance on all their faces. "Check her eyelids?" Foreman asked, confusion in his voice.

Chase and Cameron shrugged in response before they all got to their feet and made their way to the patient's room.

* * *

Several hours later, House and his team learned that Naomi, their patient, did not in fact have preeclampsia, thus proving Chase's diagnostic skills to be menial at best, at least in House's eyes. Although House secretly wished that Chase had in fact been right because the actual diagnoses was worse. Much worse. 

House had had Wilson confirm the diagnosis to make sure they were right. Advanced small-cell lung cancer. She had a few months left, maybe more if she undergoes the chemotherapy. But she refused, because the chances for her unborn baby weren't good enough. Eventually, Cameron had been able to convince her to undergo a cesarean section so she could enter the clinical trial and possibly extend her life.

It was because of the clinical trials that House was making his way towards Wilson's office. Now that he had the consent of the patient, Wilson could make the necessary calls. House opened the office door without knocking and froze.

"What are you doing?" House asked, confusion in his voice. Wilson was standing behind his desk, packing his stuff into several large boxed.

Wilson looked up at House, exasperation evident on his face. "I've been sacked," he replied, disbelief evident in his voice.

House raised his eyebrows in surprise. This was unexpected. Why the hell would the board get rid of Wilson? After a moment of shock, House eventually spoke up, "Vogler's out to get everyone who back me up."

"Yeah," Wilson laughed derisively. "Every _one _of us."

House gave a slight self-deprecating chuckle. He knew he'd have Wilson on his side, but the thought that Cuddy voted to get rid of him, well, that actually hurt. Slightly. He turned his attention back to Wilson and noticed that he had resumed packing his belongings. House took a step to the desk and slowly began to unpack the box. "Why are you leaving? Surely they couldn't have gotten full board approval for you."

Wilson grabbed up a few files and tossed them in a box. "No, they didn't. Vogler gave me the option of resigning. I took it." House watched as Wilson's frustration began to overtake him as he started to toss his belongings in the box with more force.

"I know I screwed up," House spoke up. "Allison already yelled at me. She's even taken away my sex privileges. If I could go back and do it all over again -"

"You'd do it exactly the same," Wilson finished, resignation entering his voice.

"Uh, no. Didn't you hear me?" House said. Wilson gave him a questioning look and House clarified. "She's punishing me with no sex!"

Wilson rolled his eyes. "Only you would worry about that."

"Clearly, you've never slept with Allison Cameron," House stated matter-of-factly before letting his gaze drift to the ceiling, as he let himself think about the past weekend. " If you knew the things she can do-"

"Okay!" Wilson interrupted, hands up in the air, a look of disgust marring his features. "I really don't need to hear about your sex life."

House gave a small chuckle as he took a seat behind Wilson's desk. "Fine, suit yourself. You've got _no _idea what you're missing," House said, smugly.

Wilson sighed and took a seat in his desk chair. "I assume you came in here for a reason?"

House took this as his signal to get back to business. Obviously, Wilson was not in the mood for any more of his games. He reached up and handed Wilson the patient file he had brought with him. "Yeah. Those, uh, clinical trials?"

Wilson nodded, knowing what he was referring to. "I'll make some phone calls."

House stood and went to the door. "Thanks," he said, as Wilson opened the file and picked up his phone. Wilson nodded in response. House kept his gaze on him for a few more seconds before opening the door and leaving.

"Hey, House," Wilson called out before House completely left. Hearing his name, House stopped and turned back to Wilson. "I take it things are going well with you and Cameron? I know it's only been about a week but…"

"Yeah," House replied. "It's good, but don't worry, I'm sure I'll fuck it up at some point." He gave Wilson a nod and left the office.

* * *

Hm... not my favorite chapter... but eh... 


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five **

**Chapter Episode: Babies and Bathwater

* * *

**

Vogler was dead. Or more accurately, the idea of Vogler. His back-handed views of hospital management, his attempts to control everything regarding the hospital and his tyranny all gone. After he issued an ultimatum regarding House and his presence (and with it his money), the board grudgingly agreed to get rid of House. All except Cuddy. She changed her vote to 'no.'

She had seen House's attempts to try and save his patient, Naomi, using whatever means he could to try, even if they weren't legal so he try to extend her life. And his insistence that the young couple of a infant were not abusive parents proved to be correct after the discovery a genetic disease that caused her thymus gland to wither away.

After Cuddy's refusal to back down, Vogler quickly moved to a motion to dismiss her. Cuddy accused the board of being to scared of losing the money that they would be willing to do anything to keep it, even if it wasn't necessarily in the best interest of the hospital. Vogler would own them forever and they would have no free will or choice.

So, the board made their one last choice under the reign of Edward Vogler.

And the hospital lost $100 million dollars.

With the exit of Vogler, the hospital returned back to the natural order of things. Wilson was able to return back to work, House's tenure was still in place and he didn't have to worry about firing any of his team. All in all, life was good. For now anyway.

And to celebrate the departure of the overlord, House and his team, plus Wilson were throwing an impromptu party in his honor.

House broke out the scotch he had hidden in his desk and Cameron brought out the champagne and a series of glasses. Wilson took the champagne bottle from her and uncorked it while she took a seat behind House's desk. The team laughed and shared jokes among themselves while Cameron split the champagne. House declined the champagne, instead taking the scotch for himself.

House raised his glass and called a toast to Cuddy. "To the witch that beat the big bad wolf," he declared. Cameron and the others rolled their eyes at House's comments. "Seriously," House continued. "Cuddy is a genius. Convincing four people to give up a fortune to save our sorry asses."

The team drank to House's toast as Cuddy entered the doorway. House noticed her first and welcomed her. "Dr. Cuddy, the man of the hour."

The group turned to raise their glasses to her and greeted her. Chase, who had been tossing around a small mini football that he found on House's desk, turned around and tossed it in her direction. She barely caught it as she walked further in the office. "What are you doing?" She asked cautiously, allowing small smile appearing on her. The infectious happiness of the office was getting to her to she didn't quite want to let herself succumb to the giddiness of the others.

House pushed himself away from the shelves he had been leaning against and moved to pour Cuddy a glass of the champagne. "We're drinking. I would have thought that was pretty obvious," he replied, a shade of patronization coloring his tone.

"House," Cameron spoke up from his office chair. "Be nice," she said, slightly warning him.

House turned to her. "What? I'm being nice. Look, I even poured her a glass," he said, pointing out his good deed. Cameron rolled her eyes in response but didn't say anything else, but gave him a slight glare.

Cuddy turned and tossed the ball back to Chase before picking up the glass that House had given her. She raised it above her head before speaking. "To the great champion," she indicated House. "Saved you, saved Wilson - saved the whole team."

The team and Wilson tipped their glass to her as she raised the glass to her lips and chugged it down. As she continued to knock back the champagne, the others looked at her, varying looks of concern on their faces. After finishing her champagne, Cuddy set the glass back down on the desk. "Of course, none of them would have needed saving if you could actually get along with another human being."

"Thank you, Miss Buzz Kill," House replied.

She gave a half-shrug in response. "Well, you only cost us a hundred million dollars," she responded, sarcasm beginning to enter voice. "Could have saved some lives, could have made a few jobs, helped a few people - yippee."

"You voted to get rid of him," House said, reminding her that the current situation wasn't entirely his fault.

"The lesser of two evils," she said, her weariness of the situation getting to her. She gave a big sigh before adding, "You should be in mourning. I know I am."

The room watched as she left the room. Awkwardness began to set in as they all stared at each other. The mood of the party had definitely been brought down. Inside, they knew Cuddy was right. They could have done a lot of good with the money but was the loss of control worth it? Edward Vogler had no clue how to run a hospital; it wasn't a business like his pharmaceutical company. If they had continued down the same path, he would have ruined the hospital.

After several more minutes of staring at one another in awkward silence, House had enough and moved outside onto his balcony, scotch glass in hand. Cameron watched through the door as he sighed heavily and leaned against the railing.

Sighing, Foreman set his empty glass down and stood. "Well, I'm outta here."

Cameron and Wilson nodded in acknowledgement, and Chase stood as well. "Yeah, I'm gonna get out of here as well."

The two of them went to the conference room to get their jackets and briefcases. They paused in the doorway, turning back to Cameron and Wilson. "See you guys tomorrow," Foreman said before turning to leave.

"Goodnight," Cameron replied, giving them both a small smile. Chase gave her a small wave as he exited the office and down the hall.

"Well, I guess I should get back to my office," Wilson said, placing the glass down on House's desk. "I still have a couple of files I need to finish before tomorrow morning."

"Okay. I'm gonna head out of here in a few minutes," Cameron replied. "I'll see you later."

"You bet," he replied, standing and leaving her alone in the office.

Cameron stood up from House's desk and gathered up the forgotten glasses. She carried them back to the kitchenette and set them in the sink. She didn't bother cleaning them. That could wait until tomorrow. It was late and she was tired. All she could think about right now was going home to bed and sleeping for several days. Whether that would be her own bed or House's, she wasn't quite sure yet.

She turned around and looked through the window to the balcony. House still faced out, his gaze drifting over the campus. Cameron gave a small smile and made her way to the balcony door. She pushed it open and stepped outside.

House turned at the sound of the door opening. He gave her a half-smile and she moved to stand next to him. "Hey," she said, quietly.

"Hey," he replied. Silence overcame them. But it was different from the awkward silence that had filled the office only moments before. It was a comfortable peace that only occurred between two people who were completely at ease with one another.

"You wanna get out of here?" House spoke up after a few moments. He turned his gaze to look at her. Her eyes were closed and she was slightly leaning against him.

"What did you have in mind?" she answered, keeping her eyes close, unaware of him watching her.

"Well," he dragged out. "There's still this matter of the predicament you left me in last night." Innuendo and anticipation colored his voice and Cameron couldn't help but smile at him.

"Oh, really?" she asked, feigning innocence.

"Yeah," he replied, playing along. "I talked to Vogler as you oh so kindly asked. Not my fault the overbearing giant didn't take in consideration my side of the story."

"I'm sure you were the picture of innocence, trying to charm your way out of trouble. The only problem is he's not as easy as Cuddy," Cameron retorted, a smile on her face.

"Don't you know it. That woman falls for it every time. It's my baby blues, she's a sucker for 'em," House said, batting his eyes.

Cameron allowed herself a small laugh for his benefit. She tilted her head up to look him in the eye. "Will you take a rain check?" she asked, an apologetic tone in her voice.

House looked at her, noticing how tired she looked for the first time. He gave her a small nod before leaning down to place a kiss on her lips. She sighed into the kiss and House deepened it, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her tighter against him.

They were so immersed in the kiss that they didn't hear the balcony door open. They continued to kiss until a voice interrupted them. "Oh, sorry!"

House and Cameron separated at the sound of Wilson's voice. Cameron tried to pull away from House, but his arms held her in place. House gave Wilson a glare, slightly irritated at the interruption. "Yeah?" he asked.

"Nothing," Wilson replied. "Just wanted to tell you I'm outta here."

"Okay, see you tomorrow," House said, hurriedly, wanting him to leave so he continue where he left off.

"See ya," Wilson spoke. "Night, Cameron."

"Goodnight, Dr. Wilson," she replied, becoming more comfortable in Wilson's presence.

Wilson gave them one last nod before turning and leaving.

House turned his attention back to Cameron. She had raised an eyebrow at him, as though expecting an explanation about Wilson's lack of surprise.

"Yeah, I know we said we were going to keep quiet, but I told Wilson before we made that deal," House said, feeling the need to defend himself.

"I noticed," she replied. "His lack of surprise was testament to that."

"You okay with that?" House asked, hoping that he hadn't already screwed things up.

Cameron shrugged. "I figured you would tell him. You tell him everything," she replied.

"I never kiss and tell."

"Right," she said, drawing the word out with skepticism in her voice.

"He would have hurt himself trying to figure it out. Figured I would save him the trouble," House said.

Cameron rolled her eyes, a smirk on her face and pulled him down for another brief kiss. After pulling away, House spoke. "Come on, let's get you into bed. Can't have my girl falling asleep on me."

"Your girl, huh?" Cameron asked, a smile on her face.

"Yep," House answered, grabbing her hand in his as he led them back inside.

* * *

**A/N**: God, that turned out way more sappy than I intended… almost too sappy… Oh well, there it is 


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Don't own… David Shore and his writing staff are the ones who gets paid for them…although, wait… I guess they're not getting paid right now… huh…I guess _all_ the money is currently going to FOX, NBC Universal and any other company involved although Shore is the brains behind the operation… **

**I'm not getting paid for them either. But, then I never was and never will… -sigh- So no, I don't own them.**

* * *

**Author's Note: I guess I should place a new warning to the story. Angst. Yes, it will be coming. I'm not entirely sure when the tour de angst will hit an all time high, but it is coming. I just thought I should warn you in case that's not your cup o' tea. But seriously, how can a relationship between House and Cameron not have some angst?**

Thanks so very much for all the wonderful reviews and all the alerts. :) They made me happy. :D

**

* * *

**

**Whatever It Takes**

_I'll do whatever it takes  
__To turn this around  
__I know what's at stake  
__I know that I've let you down  
__And if you give me a chance  
__Believe that I can change  
__I'll keep us together  
__Whatever it takes _

"Whatever It Takes" Lifehouse

**

* * *

Chapter Six  
****Chapter Episode: Love Hurts & Three Stories (briefly) **

Three weeks had passed since Vogler last graced the hospital with his presence and a month had passed since House and Cameron's relationship had evolved into something more. They had so far succeeded in keeping work separated from home. No one had a clue about what was going on between the misogynistic cripple and the young, kindhearted woman.

Their relationship was progressing more quickly than House imagined. He occasionally wondered if it had something to do with the fact that their relationship actually began when he asked her to go to the monster truck rally, slowly building up until it reached a boiling point and there was no turning back. If they had just launched right into a relationship without getting to know each other more deeply and recognize that it was not just lust, they probably would not have lasted as long as they have.

One of two biggest revelations for House was that he felt happier now than he could ever remember. Though the pain was still there, it was more manageable and he wasn't popping Vicodin constantly. The other revelation was how he felt about Cameron. His feelings for her were definitely past simple friendship, past simple desire. It was something that he hadn't felt in a long time, not since his ex-girlfriend, Stacy. It was deeper; something he didn't quite want to put a label on. Not quite yet.

Now, House found himself wanting to do something special for her; to celebrate a month together without him doing anything stupid and her walking out on him. The fact that he even wanted to celebrate felt so out of character for him. The only conclusion he could come to was that she was rubbing off on him. It wasn't something that he would normally do but here he was, making plans for them. And it didn't have anything to do with the fact that there was romantic residing deep in his formerly cold, shriveled heart that was gleeful at the prospect of emerging and flexing his muscles.

Yeah, it was Cameron's fault for his newfound romantic streak. That was his story and he was sticking to it.

House had told Cameron that he would pick her up a little after 7:30 on Thursday, after work. But he had kept quiet on everything else. She had subsequently spent the next couple of days trying to pry for more information, but he remained silent. No need to spoil it until absolutely necessary, he told her. It was driving her crazy and he loved it. Watching her try to figure it out on her own was amusing.

Now, it was late-Thursday afternoon, past time the work day would normally end. But since they're doctors, work hours rarely end. For most of them, anyway. The other currently sat in his office, PSP in hand. House and his team had solved their case and the patient was awaiting surgery to remove his jaw. After he suffered an accident, the patient had his jaw replaced, but it never healed properly and became infected. House had his epiphany after realizing the inordinate amounts of breath mints the patient had in his home. House also suspected that the initial stroke that brought the patient into the hospital came about because of his unusual sexual proclivities.

Since the case was now basically solved, there was nothing for House or his team to do, except wait. Chase and Foreman had already left for the day, after finishing up their clinic hours for the week. Cameron was in the conference room, working on the patient's charts. Technically, they were House's charts but he wasn't going to do them. Her penmanship was better than his, anyway. And he was too handsome for paperwork.

House heard his office door open and Cameron step inside. He pressed the pause button on his handheld game and brought his attention to her. She took the few steps to stand in front of his desk. House watched as she casually crossed her arms across her chest. After waiting a few seconds to see if she would say anything, House raised his eyebrow in a questioning look.

"Yes?" House asked.

"It's after six," she stated.

"Uh, yeah. I know. I can read the clock, too," he replied, unable to keep the snark out of his voice.

Cameron refrained from rolling her eyes; instead she raised her eyebrows and tilted her head, signaling that she didn't quite want to play his game. "I'm gonna go home and get ready for this little excursion you have planned for us. So, I'm gonna ask one more time. Where are we going?"

House leaned back in his office chair and faked an exasperated sigh, while rolling his eyes at the same time. "Good God, woman. You make it so difficult to surprise you." He then returned his attention back to his PSP.

"How am I going to make sure I dress appropriately?" Cameron asked, trying one last ditch effort to get the answer from him.

"Think you could talk that Dominatrix into letting you borrow the leather?" he asked, a hopeful look on his face.

"Maybe if you're good," Cameron quickly responded. "Now, back to my question."

"We're going paintballing," House replied, his attention still on his game.

"Right." Cameron answered, her eyebrow arched in skepticism. She didn't even try to hide her gaze sweeping over his damaged leg.

House took a deep breath. "Fine," he finally said, rolling his eyes. "I made reservations to Café Spiletto."

"Really?" Cameron asked, surprise in her voice. Café Spiletto was a high-end, five-star restaurant. Definitely not the place she pictured House patronizing.

House scoffed, acting as though he was offended. "You spend days trying to get me to spill. And now that I have, you don't believe me."

"Sorry, it's just not someplace I expected you to go," she replied.

"What can I say? I'm just full of surprises," House stated, a smirk on his face.

"Clearly," she answered, a smile on her face. She began to turn and make her way to the office door that connected to the conference room.

"You know you love it," House said to her back as she began to open the door.

Cameron halted slightly at the door. She tilted her heard and muttered, "You have no idea." She slipped through the door and gathered her belongings.

House allowed a smile to cross his face as he watched her through the glass walls. Once he was satisfied she was gone, he stood and exited his office via the balcony and went to Wilson's office door. Not bothering with niceties, House barged into his friend's office.

Wilson was standing behind his desk, gathering his things together, ready for the work day to end. He looked up at the intrusion and his gaze followed House as he entered.

"Did you get it?" House asked.

Wilson nodded. "Yes, I did." He pointed towards the coat rack next to the door. "Although, I don't see why you couldn't pick up your _own _dry cleaning."

House pulled the dry cleaner bag off the coat rack and swung it over his shoulder. He shrugged in response. "I got a reputation to protect. Can't let my beauty secret get out. Besides, it would have been difficult to hide this from Allison. She snoops through _everything_," House said, feigning annoyance.

"Right," Wilson remarked, rolling his eyes. "Seriously, though, where are you taking her?"

"If you must know, I'm taking her to Café Spiletto," House answered.

Wilson looked at him, shocked. "Really?"

House let out an exasperated sigh. "Why is it that no one believes me when I say that?" he asked, mostly to himself.

Wilson shook his head. "No, it's just… Well, you never took Stacy there no matter how much she begged you and you were with her for five years…" Wilson's voice faded away as he noticed House's somewhat embarrassed expression. House had cast his gaze to the ground, and was looking everywhere but Wilson.

"Oh," Wilson said, realization seeming to dawn on him. House had moved closer to the balcony door, wanting to get away from the current situation he found himself in.

"Oh, boy!" Wilson continued, excitement entering his voice. "You're in trouble."

House gave Wilson a half nod, followed by a tight-lipped smile. Wilson gave a laugh, thoroughly pleased with himself and his discovery. House gave him a slight glare before opening the door and stepping on the balcony. Once in the safety of the quiet outdoors, House gave a sigh before carefully scaling the partition and back in his office.

House carefully draped his freshly dry-cleaned suit over the spare chair across from his desk and began closing up shop. He made sure that his computer had been turned off and turned off the lamps that were still on. Satisfied that everything in his office and the conference room had been successfully shut down, House picked up the back pack that he usually carried and draped his dress suit over his shoulder once more.

Turning around to leave the office, he stopped dead in his tracks. Before him was a woman that he never expected to see again. After a few seconds of awkward staring, she spoke, forcing House to come to the conclusion that he wasn't imagining it.

"Hi, Greg." She gave him a small smile.

"Stacy."

**

* * *

A/N2: Me again… I'm taking a poll asking for your opinion on when House and Cameron's relationship should be found out by the others. I have ideas for both ways and I can't decide which on to pick. **

**Should they be found out during the course of the 'Season Two' arc or should I hold off until 'Season Three?' **


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes: Sorry it took me a while to get this out. I was swamped by three art history papers… all of which are done now ****Now I just have to survive my Latin and Mythology finals… but they're not too bad. **

**Thanks to those who gave me their opinion on when House and Cameron should be found out by the others. I now know when and how it's going to occur ;) Now, I gotta work out the rest of the outline (or at least more of it) and fit in the new changes.**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Seven**  
**Episode: Mix of Three Stories and Love Hurts**

Cameron tossed her keys on the table by the door as she entered her apartment. A quick glance at the clock told her that she had almost an hour until House showed up to get ready. Not much time. She quickly made her way to the closet in her bedroom and threw the doors open. She rummaged through the outfits desperately trying to find something to wear.

Café Spiletto was one of the more expensive restaurants in town and a tie was most certainly mandatory. Which meant that she had to dress the part as well. Cameron began to grow more frustrated as she shoved aside hanger after hanger. Surely she had something to wear. She had bugged House for this very reason. If she had the time, she would have gone out and bought something to wear, but no, he had to keep quiet.

"Does Greg even _own _a tie?" she asked herself, annoyance entering her voice. She knew she shouldn't blame it on House. He obviously put a lot of thought into tonight but she couldn't help it.

Finally, reaching the back of the closet, she discovered a dress she had almost forgotten she had. She pulled it out of the closet and examined the black silk, making sure it was still in good shape. Once she was satisfied about the condition of the dress, she quickly gathered it up and made her way to the bathroom.

Cameron turned the water on, making sure the temperature was just right. She quickly removed her work clothing and stepped into the shower. She made quick work of washing her body, not wanting to waste too much time. After she finished shampooing and conditioning her hair, she climbed out of the tub and set about getting dressed for her date with House.

Twenty minutes later, Cameron had finished blow-drying her hair and styled it into loose curls. She lightly applied her makeup, not feeling the need to use more than she normally did, except a bit more shine on her lips. Satisfied with her makeup, she stepped into her dress and zipped up the fasten in the back. Once more, Cameron examined the mirror, making sure everything was perfect, before stepping out and back to the bedroom.

She went to the closet and slipped on a pair of matching pumps before making her way to her jewelry box. She wasn't one to wear much jewelry as the chance she might loose them at the hospital was too high but tonight called for it. She scanned over her collection of earrings before settling on a pair of pearl drop earrings; her mother's. They would work perfectly tonight.

Once everything was in place and Cameron was satisfied with her reflection in the mirror, she allowed a glance at the clock. It had just turned ten after seven. House would be there in about twenty minutes, give or take. He was never good with time. She had plenty of time before he arrived.

Who said women took hours to get ready?

* * *

_Meanwhile_… 

"Hi, Greg," Stacy said, a small smile on her face.

House couldn't repress his shock at her appearance. Five years and not a peep. Now, she was standing before him, a hesitant smile on her face, waiting for him to acknowledge her. House let his gaze wander over her. She looked happy, much more than when she was with him. Clearly, the past five years had been good to her.

Stacy had let her own gaze wander over House, scrutinizing him. "You look good," she said, breaking the silence that taken over the room for the last several seconds.

Her voice snapped House out of his trance. He brought his eyes to hers, letting the mask slip into place. "What are you doing here?"

Stacy drew in a deep breath as though she had been expecting this. "I need your help," she stated simply, stepping towards him, a file folder in her hand. House stole a glance towards the clock, taking note of the time before he reached out and took the file from her. Turning back, he splayed open the file across his desk and briefly glanced over it.

"Who am I looking at?" he asked, studying the symptoms, his brilliant mind already trying to peace together the puzzle.

"My husband," she replied quietly.

"Who is suffering abdominal pain and fainting spells. No sign of tumors, no vasculitis. Could be indigestion, or maybe a kidney stone. A little one can pack a lot of wallop." Try as he may, he could not contain his surprise at her statement. He didn't know why he was surprised. Five years had passed; she had to have moved on. He had, but he couldn't help the stunned feeling that had risen up inside him.

She had noticed his surprise and commented on it. "Did you think I wasn't going to get married?"

"Not to someone so poorly endowed," he replied, recovering from his initial shock. "This guy's pancreas is pathetic."

Stacy rolled her eyes in response. "We've seen several specialists who can't figure it out. Mark doesn't want to waste another doctor's time. He doesn't think there's anything wrong with him."

"I'm not sure what you want me to do," House replied, his eyes glancing once more towards the clock. It was just about 6:30 pm. He had a little more than an hour to get dressed and over to Cameron's. That is, if he could get out of here. "If he doesn't think there's anything wrong with then there's nothing I can do for him."

"Cut the crap," Stacy said, forcefully. "I was around you long enough to know when something's wrong. He's lost his appetite, his mood fluctuates."

House let out an obvious sigh, aggravation in his demeanor, but Stacy pushed on. "I know you're not too busy. You avoid work like the plague. Unless it actually _**is **_the plague," she finished, allowing a small smile cross her features.

"I'm not too busy," House confirmed. "I just don't think I want him to live." House avoided looking at Stacy's shocked expression. Clearly, she hadn't expected this level of callousness, although House thought she should have known better. "But," House spoke again, reaching down and picking up the dry cleaning bag that held his suit for his date with Cameron. "I actually have somewhere I need to be."

House opened the office door and stepped through it, but not without one last statement. "Don't forget to lock the door on your way out."

* * *

Cameron was sitting on the couch, waiting for House to show up. It had just turned 7:25, but she knew that House was probably still at his place, not wanting to leave until absolutely necessary. Factoring in traffic and distance, it would probably take him an additional fifteen minutes to arrive. So, Cameron figured he would show up at her place around 7:45. Which gave her about twenty minutes of waiting. 

Cameron couldn't quite quell the feelings of nervousness she had for tonight, even though she knew it was ridiculous. But despite the change in their relationship over the last month, they had never gone out for the evening. At least not on an actual date. Their 'dates' consisted of sitting at home, watching television while eating take-out. And that was perfectly fine with her. She had always been a bit of a homebody, just as House was. But that didn't mean that she didn't enjoy an occasional evening out.

Unconsciously, Cameron's hand moved to the container on the coffee table that held her favorite indulgence; Mms. She had a habit of eating the colors separately, even though they all tasted the same. First, the blue because it was her favorite color, then the red and so on. It was something she picked up as a kid and it stuck ever since. When House found out her hidden love of the little chocolate candies and her quirk when it came to eating them, he teased her relentlessly. She had thrown a bunch of them at him in retaliation, which only served to cause him to continue.

A knock on the door snapped Cameron out of her thoughts. She jumped in surprise, and succeeded in dropping not only the Mms in her hands, but also knocking the candy bowl over. The Mms scattered across the coffee table, bouncing off onto the floor. Cursing under her breath, Cameron leaned down and tried to quickly gather them up. House was earlier than she expected. Granted, he was technically on time, but she was still surprised.

An impatient knock sounded again. This time there was the unmistakable sound of wood against wood. Definitely House. "Use your damn key!" Cameron called out from her position on the floor. Ever since she had given him a key to her place, he had come and gone whenever he pleased, but _now _he chose to knock?

There was silence, an audible sigh, and then the sound of the lock disengaging. A second later, the door swung open and House sauntered in, closing the door behind him. "I was _trying _to do this properly."

"Do what properly?" Cameron asked as she pulled herself up off the floor. She smoothed out the skirt on her dress and brought her gaze to his for the first time since he walked inside the door. He looked nice. Like he actually spent the time getting ready, and if she wasn't mistaken, he had shaved slightly. He had on the sky blue shirt that she liked so much. It brought out his eyes, making them an even more brilliant shade of blue. And apparently, he _did _own a tie.

"I knock, you come to the door. I give you the flowers which I painstakingly picked out. Tell you that you look gorgeous, which you do by the way, and I give you a nice chaste kiss on the cheek and off we go," House explained, animatedly.

"You don't do flowers," Cameron responded.

House nodded. "Damn right, I don't, 'cause they're lame," he replied, matter-of-factly. Shrugging, he stepped towards her and reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a clear plastic container which contained a single white rose corsage. He opened it, pulled out the corsage and held it out to her, almost sheepishly. "But you like lame, right?"

"Yes. Yes, I do," she responded, a smile on her face.

"Good."


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own them...

**Author's Notes: **I had planned on getting this out before Christmas and that didn't work… I thought about before New Year's but again… didn't work. But I have finally finished it. I suffered a bout of writer's block and nothing was working the way I wanted it to. I went through several drafts before finally settling on this one. :) Honestly, I can't wait until I get to the angst… I think I write that better ...  
I think my characterizations are getting a little rusty. I haven't watched a House episode since the last one…back in October? Or was it November?… I think I need to go back and watch a few to get back into the flow…

I'm not overly fond of this chapter, just a bit too sappy for me…but I hope it works out okay.

Also, I contemplated giving Cameron a back story here, but, besides the fact that it didn't go that route as I was writing, I didn't want to write myself into a corner if, by some miracle, we actually get a back story on Cam during the show… although if Cam's past gets ignored next season (since this season seems pretty much over because of the strike), I'll go and write one for her :)

* * *

Chapter Eight  
Episode: "Love Hurts" and a teeny tiny bit of "Three Stories"

House pulled his classic red corvette up to Café Spoleto and came to a stop at the entrance. As soon as the wheels came to a complete stop, two valets came up to both sides of the car and opened the doors. Cameron gave the young man a gentle smile as she exited the car. He returned the smile, bowing his head slightly. He closed the door behind her as she turned around and noticed that her brusque date was currently threatening the valet that had the misfortune of being the one who took the keys from him.

House held the keys out in front of the valet's wide-eyed face as he spoke to him. "And if I find one tiny little scratch on her, and I'll take this cane and-"

"Greg," Cameron interrupted sternly, cutting him off before he made another statement that could be construed as a threat.

House turned at the sound of her voice. He rolled his eyes when he noticed Cameron standing, hand on her hip, with one eyebrow raised, but he kept his comments to himself. "Come on," he said abruptly, and began walking towards the door, not waiting to see if she was following.

Now, it was Cameron's turn to roll her eyes as she followed. Leave it to House not to be chivalrous, but it was something that she had become accustomed to, as sad as it was. She never expected anything less, although she thought that he would put a little more effort into this evening after he spent so much trouble planning it. She felt the eyes of the young men on her as she made her way to the door, as though they were attempting to figure out how the crippled old bastard got the girl. And if she had an answer, she would gladly give it. There was just something about him that she was drawn to and she couldn't explain if her life depended on it.

Cameron entered the restaurant and navigated her way through the small group of people until she reached House. He was already at the maître d' and giving the older man his name. Cameron reached out and put her hand on his arm to let him know she was there. House turned his head to her and gave her an almost imperceptible nod in acknowledgement.

A minute later, the maître d' led them towards their table. He held the chair out for Cameron, after it seemed House had no interest in doing so. The maître d' gave her a small nod of his head as she took her seat and handed them their menus then made his way back to the front of the restaurant. House had dropped into his seat with a sound that resembled a sigh.

They reached for their menus silently, perusing the choices. It didn't take Cameron long to decide to get the ravioli and she clandestinely peered over the top of her menu to watch House. She furrowed her eyebrows as she noticed that he seemed slightly apprehensive. He kept cutting his eyes around the room, as though he was avoiding looking at her. Something was going on.

Cameron took a deep breath before closing her menu and setting it down. "Okay," she said. She waited until House's attention came back to her before continuing. "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" House asked, confusion in his voice.

"You. You're acting weird," Cameron replied. After receiving another blank look, she elaborated. "First, there's this," she said, pointing out the restaurant. "Which for you is just unusual in and of itself. And you're acting like you'd rather be anywhere but here. I swear you haven't even looked at me since we've gotten here. So, what's going on?"

House stayed silent for a minute. He had had an internal battle with himself on the drive here. He had come to the conclusion that tonight was the night. He was going to tell her how he felt, no matter how uncomfortable it may make him. His feelings for her had grown so much over the last month that it almost startled him in their intensiveness. He felt more for her than any other woman in his life. The thought was scary and the idea of voicing it was slightly unnerving, but he needed her to hear it. He needed to say it. "Allison, I-" House finally spoke up, avoiding her gaze once more by keeping his eyes on the table and tried not to fidget too much.

"Oh, God," She interrupted him abruptly, a shocked expression on her face as though she had finally reached the conclusion to his elusive behavior.

House looked at her wondering, and slightly worried, what she assumption she had arrived at. She continued to stare at him, distress overtaking her face. "You're breaking up with me," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Um, okay," House said, not quite expecting that theory. "Not quite the reaction I was looking for."

But Cameron didn't hear him and she continued to validate her belief. "T-this has gone on far too long for you, and….and you wanna cut me loose. You're gonna tell me that it's you, not me, when we really know that that's just a cover for saying that there's something wrong with me, but we can still be friends. You've been planning this and now y-you're nervous about how I'm going to take it so you brought me here so that I wouldn't make a scene." Cameron's voice had become higher and more frenzied the longer she spoke.

Try as he might, House couldn't keep the amusement he felt at her unfounded distress and he felt the laughter bubbling up in his chest despite his best effort to suppress it. There was a part of him that was upset that she would even think that he would entertain the idea, but a larger part of him found the situation entirely ridiculous. Her insecurities were taking over the logical part of her brain and his nervousness over admitting his feelings made him look awkward.

His mirth brought a rise out of her and she began to grow more agitated, and began to draw the attention of other dining couples. Finally, House snapped out of it as he realized that she really believed that he was breaking up with her and that his reaction wasn't helping matters. It just went to show that he was definitely out of practice when it came to these kinds of things. "Damn it, Allison, I'm not breaking up with you. I'm trying to tell you I love you."

Cameron froze in the middle of rising out of her chair. This time, shock appeared on her face for an entirely different reason. "Oh," she said quietly, finally finding her voice as she sat back down, embarrassed by her outburst. She avoided his gaze and kept her eyes firmly focused on the candle in the middle of the small table.

That wasn't quite how House had wanted to tell her, but then, he never thought that she would think he was dumping her. True, he had been nervous about saying those three words, but he had wanted to tell her in the privacy of one of their apartments, not in front of several strangers. But what's done is done. And it wasn't that bad.

"May I take your orders, sir?" The voice of the waiter interrupted the silence that had overtaken them. Jolted out of the awkwardness, the two of them gave the waiter their orders. After jotting it down, the waiter left and the silence settled back into place.

"You know, I was worried about embarrassing myself tonight, but I guess you took care of that," House said after a few more seconds of silence.

Cameron gave a small wry chuckle before covering her face with her hands, trying to hide the blush that colored her cheeks. "Oh, God," she groaned into her hands, causing House to smirk. "I'm so sorry…I can't believe I thought that…"

House shrugged, dismissing her apology as it was not necessary. "It's not like I didn't give you reasons to think otherwise."

"But you didn't," Cameron hastily replied. "I just jumped to conclusions." House nodded in response, not quite sure what to say. "I love you, too," she said quietly, a smile on her face.

House gave her a small smile and nodded. "Good, now that we've got that out of the way."

* * *

Cameron opened the door to her apartment and entered, House trailing closely behind her. Tonight went extremely well, if you didn't count her little flub regarding House's intentions. She preferred to ignore that and pretend it never happened. She had no idea what prompted her to even think such things. She supposed that it had to do with the insecurities that she still attempting to overcome. She hated that sometimes she felt that way, but it was something that she couldn't control, try as she might.

After House entered the apartment, Cameron closed the door and locked the deadbolt. She turned around and noticed that House had already shed his jacket and was frantically working on undoing his tie. She tossed her purse on the end table and made her way to him. She grabbed his tie that was draped around his neck and pulled him down. Reaching up, she placed a small kiss to his lips and smiled. "Thank you for tonight."

House shrugged. "It was nothing," he replied, trying to brush it aside.

Cameron shook her head in response. "No, I know how much you hate those public displays of affection. And _that _was the ultimate PDA."

"Yeah, well, don't spread it around," he said, leaning down to give Cameron another kiss.

"Don't worry, it'll be our little secret," she said with a smile, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Good," House replied, pulling his arms around her waist and leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Now, how about we go back to the bedroom and make like the beast with two backs."

"And the romance is gone," Cameron replied with a smile. "I'll have you know that I don't usually put out on the first date, but I guess this time I could make an exception," she finished with a coy smile, wrapping a small hand around his left wrist and began to lead him towards her bedroom.

"First date?" House asked, sounding somewhat surprised as he allowed her to pull him towards their destination. "This is the…" He drifted off as though he was trying to remember the number of times they've went out. "…the second time?"

Cameron shook her head as she opened her bedroom door and they stepped inside. "Nope. The monster trucks wasn't a date, remember?"

"Oh, yeah," House muttered distractedly as he watched Cameron reach down and slip her shoes off.

Cameron turned, with her back towards House, and looked at him over her shoulder. "Gonna help me out?" she asked, indicating the zipper on the back of her dress.

House gave her a lecherous smirk before closing the bedroom door, hanging his cane on the knob and slowly stalked-limped towards her.

* * *

Several hours later, House woke as his right leg began to ache in revenge for the overexertion he had imposed on it earlier. Groaning, House sat up in the bed, running his hand over the damaged muscle trying to alleviate some of the pain. He glanced over towards Cameron and noticed that thankfully, his movements had not woken her. Another shot of pain raced through his leg and he stifled a groan, his eyes darting around the dark room, trying to find the familiar amber bottle that held his Vicodin.

With a sigh, he realized that they were still in his jacket pocket, which were just out of his reach. He was going to have to stand to get to it and he had left his cane on the doorknob. Resigned, House slowly pulled himself to his feet and cautiously hobbled over to the chair that he had flung his clothes onto. He grabbed his jacket and dug around in the pockets for his pills.

He pulled out both his pills and cell phone from his jacket. He briefly looked down at his phone and realized that he had four voicemail messages. He had put his phone on silent before picking Cameron up so that they wouldn't be interrupted by Wilson or, worse, the hospital. He opened his pill bottle with one hand while he called his voicemail inbox. He dry-swallowed two pills as he listened to the automated message telling him that there four messages. The first three were from Wilson and the House deleted the messages without a second thought. He got the gist of them from the first message. Wilson wanted to talk to him about Stacy. Apparently, he had forgotten about House and Cameron's date plans.

The last call was from Stacy. House froze as he listened to her awkwardly talking to the machine. She apologized for showing up out of nowhere and asking him to take her husband's case. House felt a tiny twinge of guilt as she apologized once again for showing up unannounced.

Perhaps he had been more callous towards her than he needed to be. He never realized that he still resented her for making the decision that left him crippled and in pain. But several years had passed since then and they had both moved on. For the first time in several years House found himself content. Sure, he was still an ass to everyone, but at least there was someone who loved the ass in him. Maybe it was time for him to get over what happened between him and Stacy.

Making his decision, House quietly limped towards the bathroom and closed the door behind him. He pulled up Stacy's number and pressed call. Her phone automatically went to voicemail and he listened to the message, waiting for the beep. After the tone, House spoke up, telling Stacy that he thought it over and decided that he would take her husband's case. After his brief message, he turned his phone off and left the bathroom.

He tossed his phone back on the chair with his clothes and settled back into the bed. He shifted over until he was behind Cameron and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him. She sighed quietly in her sleep and settled into his arms as he placed a small kiss on the back of her neck. He took a deep breath and let sleep overtake him.


	10. Chapter 9

**_Author's Notes:_ I am so so so sorry about the lack of updates lately. Asides from the fact that my muse ran away, I have recently been going through an extreme case of JDOCD… There's no cure and it usually flares up about the time a new movie is released that stars Johnny Depp (in this case it was **_**Sweeney Todd **_**followed by the **_**Public Enemies **_**filming**_**)**_**… and I'm hopeless for months….I think I'm just getting over it… **

_**But, **_**even though I haven't posted anything since well…January, I want you to know that I didn't not write anything for this story. I actually wrote a lot of scenes for future chapters and I also spent a lot of time wrestling with a decision that would effect the rest of the story. Whichever decision I came up with would determine how certain events happen and I didn't want to pick lightly. Well, I've finally decided which to use so that helped. :)**

**I spent all the time wrestling with the future decision because this chapter was killing me! I had a plan for it all written out…but it still refused to work with me. So, as a result, I'm not overly fond of how this came out, but hopefully, that's just because I'm my own worst critic. :)**

**I'm attempting to whiz through this episode because the majority of it doesn't change from the actual episode. **

**Hopefully, my characterizations are still there. It's been a while since I've written anything that wasn't art history research based…**

**Major thanks to _naika7_ for beta-ing this… ****and my sister _slwmtiondaylite_ for helping with the storyline of the story. :D **

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

**Episode: "Honeymoon"**

House sat alone in a semi-casual restaurant that was filled with businessmen and women, with a few families and dating couples scattered around. The dinner rush had begun and waiters and waitresses were bustling about to meet their customers' needs. It was a friendly atmosphere, perfectly suitable to hold meetings with potential clients, or in House's case, potential patients. He had agreed to meet with Stacy and her husband Mark, regarding the illness Stacy was sure he had.

House had arrived early, which was extremely unusual by his standards. He wanted to get this over with. But, of course, Stacy and Mark weren't there. He had come alone after dissuading Cameron from tagging along. She had sensed his discomfort at the situation and wanted to come along hoping to have a calming affect on him, mistaking his uneasiness for some sort of social anxiety at being pitted with his ex. House managed to talk her out of it, stating that he would be fine.

He had hesitantly told Cameron about his past with the woman whom he was now waiting for. His original intent had been to leave out all the sordid details about his past with Stacy and just pretend not to know Stacy as well as he did, but he found himself unable to do that to her. Cameron had shared her past with him regarding her husband. He knew that she didn't expect to be the only one in his life, so he didn't couldn't lie to her. Cameron had silently listened to his story, absorbing the rare moment of openness he had shared with her.

House sighed as boredom began to set in. He wasn't one for waiting. When boredom struck, his behavior was usually reduced to that of a child and this case was no different. He reached for the fork and spoon at his place setting and attempted to balance them on his wine glass. It was a difficult task and was sure to keep him occupied for the next several seconds until someone bumped his table, knocking them down. He gave an annoyed sigh and looked up to see Stacy taking a seat in front of him, a sly smirk on her face.

Might as well get this show on the road.

* * *

House had decided that in order to determine that Stacy's husband, Mark, did indeed need to go to the hospital, he needed to bring him there against his will. So, after doping him at the restaurant, House had the paramedics bring him to Princeton-Plainsboro. House and his team conducted the differential as usual.

Several hours and faulty diagnoses later, House and his team had decided on the possibility that Mark was suffering from early on-set Alzheimer's, which would be devastating if it panned out. House sent Cameron to the lab to perform the test, which was where she currently found herself. She was just finishing setting the centrifuge when she heard the lab door swoosh open. Looking up, she saw Stacy enter.

"Hey," Stacy greeted. She had a coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other. She looked tired, and Cameron couldn't blame her. She had been in her shoes once before: watching helplessly as her husband's health deteriorated. Only this time, Cameron made a promise to herself that she wasn't going to let Stacy helplessly watch her husband die. Not if she could help it. House would say that it was because of her pathological need to care for everyone who walked through the hospital doors, but Cameron didn't care, even if that meant she had to endure his teasing later.

"Hi," Cameron returned the greeting and pressed the button to start the test. She turned towards Stacy and leaned against the counter. "How are you doing?" she asked, her concern getting the best of her.

"Tired," Stacy admitted, confirming Cameron's thoughts.

The two women stood in silence for a few seconds before Cameron spoke up. "Um, can I ask you something? About House?"

If Stacy was surprised by the question, she didn't show it. Instead, she gave the younger woman a small smile and nodded.

"Has he always been…" she hesitated, wanting to find the right words, without giving away their relationship.

"An ass?" Stacy finished the question, a smirk on her face. "A jerk? A complete bastard?"

Cameron gave a small chuckle at Stacy's bluntness. "Well, I wasn't going to use those exact words, but yeah. What was he like before his leg?"

"Pretty much the same," Stacy replied, a wistful smile on her face.

Cameron gave her a smile in return. "And yet, you fell in love with him?" She wanted to give Stacy the feeling that she couldn't believe anyone would love House, but Stacy saw through it.

"Let's just say that there's something about him," Stacy replied, keeping an eye on her. She noticed Cameron attempt to hide a small blush and gave her a knowing glance. "You like him, don't you?"

Cameron's eyes shot up to meet hers at the statement and she tried to debunk that theory but her reaction had already given her away. Stacy noticed her distress and, misreading it as fear of being found out and humiliated for by the object of her affections, placed a comforting hand on her arm. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. I won't tell him."

Cameron gave her a small smile in response. Was she really that obvious? If Stacy could tell in only a few minutes, then did anyone else know about it? About them?

Stacy pulled her away from harrowing thoughts by asking what they were testing for now.

Cameron, thankful for the change in subject (she really needed to learn to leave certain topics alone), went into doctor mode and asked Stacy if there was any history of mental illness in Mark's family.

"No, well, his sister did vote for Nader, twice." Stacy took a sip of her coffee. "Greg hates fishing. He's got something. What's his theory?"

Cameron wavered slightly; she still had trouble being the bearer of bad news. "The most likely diagnosis we have right now is Alzheimer's."

The breath left Stacy's body. There was no way; Mark was too young. "No," she said, trying to sound confident as she tried to recall any instance of a forgetful memory. "Yeah, he forgets where he puts his keys every now and then, but who doesn't?"

Cameron gave Stacy a sympathetic smile. The centrifuge beeped, signaling the completion of the test. Cameron picked up the readout and scanned it while Stacy stood by, watching nervously. Cameron felt a sigh of relief exit her own body at the results. "It's negative. He doesn't have it."

Stacy smiled and nodded. "I didn't think so."

* * *

It turned out that Mark suffered from acute intermittent porphyria, AIP. It caused his mood swings and his paralysis. Cameron was glad that House and she had been able to separate work from their personal life since day one. After being criticized for telling Stacy about the negative result on the Alzheimer's test, she, Foreman and Chase had to step in to prevent House from overstepping his bounds and injecting the patient with a cocktail of drugs designed to set off an attack.

The injection helped them determine the diagnosis for sure, but if the patient didn't want it, then they couldn't give it to him. Stacy, on the other hand, demanded that House inject him anyway. Cameron was relieved when House went along with Mark's wishes, only to have it blow up in her face when House took action when no one was expecting.

If they had not set the boundaries for their relationship in the beginning, she was sure that it would have caused problems at home a hundred times already.

After House's little stunt, Cameron needed to get away from him for a little while. She was furious that he would go against the patient's wish, especially after pretending to concede. With a glare in his direction, she stalked off towards the clinic. She would have rather dealt with paranoid moms and runny noses than stay near House, at least until her anger dissipated, which it was sure to do before the day was out.

House currently found himself standing in his slightly darkened office, tossing his tennis ball from hand to hand, watching the rain pour outside. He knew he had angered Cameron and that she had to be away from him right now in order to cool off. But he had needed to do what he did to diagnose the patient. He didn't care about Mark's request; he needed to solve the puzzle. And he did, so it was another job well done as far as he was concerned.

Cameron would get over it. She always did. Though, occasionally, he wondered if perhaps she was a little too forgiving when it came to him.

It was getting dark now, but he didn't want to head home just yet. He wanted to make sure that everything was okay between him and Cameron. He wasn't quite sure where she was, but he knew that she would find him when she was ready. He just had to be patient, which was not easy for him.

His ball tossing was interrupted when the office door opened. House, grabbed the ball and turned around to see Stacy as she stepped across the threshold.

"Hey," she said by way of greeting, a small smile on her face.

House acknowledged her with a nod, placing his ball back on his desk. He looked up waiting for her to say something.

"You fixed him," she said, her smile growing bigger as she stepped in front of his desk.

"_De nada_," he replied, shrugging off her gratefulness.

Stacy took a deep breath. "Thank you," she said, sincerely.

"He's gonna be fine," House said.

Stacy nodded and flashed him an appreciative smile before she turned and took a few steps forward. She quickly halted, and turned her head upwards at the ceiling as though she was contemplating her next words. Turning back around towards House, Stacy took a tentative step towards him.

House watched her with curiosity, wondering what she was thinking.

Finally, Stacy seemed to have drawn up enough courage to say what was on her mind. "I'm not over you," she said, quietly.

House wasn't quite sure what she wanted him to say, so he stayed silent and let her finish.

"You were," she took a deep, stepping closer to him. "You were the one. You always will be." There was a brief pause before she finished. "But, I can't be with you."

House took in her words. Now, he was really confused. He wasn't quite sure where this was coming from, because he was not aware that he had given her any indication that he wanted to get back with her. He decided to humor her, to see where she planned on taking this. "So…I'm the guy, but you want the other guy, who, by definition, can never be the guy. Is that what you're saying?"

Stacy flashed him a bright smile. "What's so great about you is you always think you're right. And what's so frustrating about is you are right so much of the time." She moved closer, so she was now standing directly in front of him and he had to look down at her. "You are brilliant, funny, surprising, sexy." Another deep breath. "But with you, I was lonely. And with Mark, there's room for me."

House looked at her for almost a minute, thoughts swirling around in his head. Did he give her a hint that he wanted her, or was she just assuming because, as far as she knew, there was no one else? Did she think that she was impossible to get over? He was over her, right? He loved Cameron, that much he knew. He knew Stacy was not out of his heart completely, but Cameron demanded a larger part of his affections now, but did that mean he was over Stacy? He mentally shook himself from those thoughts.

"Okay," he finally answered. "While this is all _very _flattering, I just want to say that I think I've moved on. I've moved past us - what we had."

Stacy took in a quick breath, but tried to disguise her obvious shock at House's words. She recovered quickly and leaned forward, placing a kiss on his right cheek. House leaned into her and took a deep breath. He cursed himself as he closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of her perfume and shampoo. Neither had changed over the years and as a result he felt himself drawn towards her. "Good," she whispered in his ear. "I'm happy for you."

Stacy finally pulled away, for which House was internally grateful. He watched her as she gave him a small, sad smile, turned and left the office. Sighing, House picked up the ball once more and tossed it over his head., frustration coloring his movements. His once clear cut feelings were now scrambled and he wasn't quite sure what to make of it. And it didn't please him.

"What the hell just happened?"

* * *

Cameron stepped off the elevator and saw House leaning against the wall down the hall. She had been looking for him for almost twenty minutes. He hadn't been in his office, the coma patient's room, the roof, or in Wilson's office. It was late, so he wasn't hiding out in the clinic. She just happened to try Mark's floor. She wanted him to know that she was over it; his little stunt; and that she was ready to go home.

She walked closer to him, but he didn't notice her. His attention was on the couple in their patient's room. Stacy was laying beside her husband on his bed, his arms wrapped around her. He would occasionally run his hand gently across her back. Cameron drew her gaze to House's face, trying to determine what he was thinking about; he looked so deep in thought.

Slowly, she took another step towards him in the empty hall. The sound of her shoes clicking against the tile finally got his attention and he turned his head towards her. She gave him a smile, letting him know that everything was okay between them. He responded with a nod, before returning his attention to Stacy and Mark. She stopped and stood next to him, and looked into the room as well.

A few seconds later, she looked up at him. "Are you okay?" she asked, concern in her voice. She knew about his past with her and the difficult time he had gone through after she had left. She thought that it had to be on his mind now that she was here.

House tore his gaze away from the room and looked into Cameron's eyes. "Yeah," he answered, reassuring her.

"Okay," she replied, not quite sure if he was telling the truth, but decided to drop it for now. She looked around the corridor, checking if it was still empty, save for them. "You ready to head out?"

"You go on ahead," he said. "Let yourself in. I'll follow you in a few minutes."

She nodded, "Okay." They always left the hospital a few minutes apart as to not draw attention to themselves. Occasionally, if Wilson was with them, they would leave together, but never in the same car.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked once more before leaving.

House resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes," he replied. "Now, get outta here."

"Okay, I'll see you in a little bit," she said, smiling. Unable to resist, she reached down and gave his hand a squeeze. He surprised her by grasping her hand in response. After a few quick seconds, she dropped his hand and turned on her heel, heading back to the elevator.

House kept his gaze on her as she entered the elevator. Taking a deep breath, he briefly looked back at Stacy and Mark before turning and making his own way to the elevator.

* * *

House grasped his backpack as he exited the elevator onto the ground floor. It was slightly busier here than the other parts of the hospital, but not by much, given the late hour. He limped across the lobby, making his way to the exit.

"House!" Cuddy's voice shouted after him.

He stopped and turned to see Cuddy walking quickly towards him. "Well, you're here late. J-Date not working out for ya?"

Cuddy ignored his jab, preferring to remain professional. "I wanted to run something by you."

House turned around and began to walk closer to the exit. "No, I will not have sex with you again! The one time was bad enough. All that administrative need." He shuddered, mockingly.

Cuddy rolled her eyes, refusing to bait him. "Stacy's husband is going to need hospital monitoring and I figured we could really use her around here, so I offered her a job, as general consult," she finished, with a hint of sympathy in her voice.

"What do I have to do with it?"

"She said that she would only accept it if it was okay with you."

House stopped walking and looked at her. He shrugged. "I don't care. Doesn't matter to me." He opened the door and took one step outside.

"Are you sure?" Cuddy asked, wanting to confirm that this would work out.

"Why does everyone assume I'm still into her?" House asked, frustration entering his voice. "Yes, it's fine."

Cuddy raised her arms in a sign of surrender. "Okay," she said. "I'll let her know."

"Okay," he replied. "I'm leaving now and I'm not going to stop again. Got places to be, people to do."

"I don't really care about your exploits with hookers," Cuddy said, slightly disgusted.

House opened the door and took a step outside before turning around to face Cuddy. Smirking, he said replied, "Who said anything about her being a hooker?"

Cuddy raised her eyebrow in question, but did not receive a response. Instead, House simply walked to his car as she stared after him, confusion written on her face. Did he just insinuate that there was someone in his life?

No, it couldn't be.

Could it?

* * *

**A/N:** **Yeah, I switched the order of the last two scenes in this chapter… just felt better this way for my story.**

**And now, we are done with the Season One arc. I'll be moving to the Season Two arc (hopefully) shortly. But, don't expect things to follow season two exactly. Episodes will be switched out of order and events will swap places. Just fits my own timeline better :D **


	11. Chapter 10 Season Two

**Author's Notes:** Here we are in the season two arc :) This is where things get interesting. Season 1 was the fluffy stuff and the beginning of their relationship, now I'm going to attempt to explore other areas of it while staying true to the feeling of the show and the characters. At least that's my goal :) Hopefully, I'll be able to succeed at it.

And, yeah, I'm skipping 'Acceptance' and 'Autopsy' and 'Humpty Dumpty' … I didn't quite know how to work them in, so just pretend that whatever happened on the show happened here…'TB or not TB' will come in later…waaay later :)

I was sitting around thinking about the timeline of this fic… and how long House and Cam have been together. The best thing I could think to do was go by the original airdates of the episodes (because let's face it, the timeline of this show is a little foggy; such as in Daddy's Boy, it aired in November, but the patient just recently went on Spring Break? Really?

So that said, 'Honeymoon' aired in late May, 'Daddy's Boy' aired in early November…and House and Cam were already together about a month and a week in 'Honeymoon' (according to my calculations)… so they've been together approximately six months as of this chapter. :)

Major thanks to naika7 for beta-ing :D

And finally, I wanted to say 'thanks' for all the reviews :) They make my day and really make me want to write…

* * *

**Chapter 10: Season 2 - Daddy's Boy Pt 1**

BEEP!! BEEP!!

Cameron woke to the sound of her alarm rudely signaling the beginning of another day. Groaning, she reached over and pushed the snooze button. A cursory glance to the opposite side of the bed before closing her eyes told her that House had already woken and a brief touch to the cool sheets confirmed that it had been a while ago. It was an occurrence that had unnerved her at first, but House had reassured her that his leaving had nothing to do with her. His leg pain would occasionally wake him in the middle of the night and he would head back to his place so he wouldn't bother her. She knew that it was also a preservation tactic. They never arrived at work together to help safeguard their relationship from prying eyes.

The past five months had gone by fairly quickly. The team had undertaken several difficult cases which had put a slight strain on their relationship, despite their attempts to not mix work and home. House was summoned to treat a death row inmate who had attempted to kill himself with copier toner. At the same time, she had been treating a patient with lung cancer and House's dismissal of her and her patient in favor of the inmate had upset her.

House and she clashed over his obvious eagerness to solve the inmate's case and her failure to accept the fact that her patient was dying. His initial refusal to let Cameron do a simple test on her patient caused tempers to flare and irritation to set in at home, forcing them to spend a few nights alone to prevent them from saying things they would regret later. Shortly following was a case that involved a young girl with terminal cancer which brought up memories of her husband. When they solved her case, Cameron felt emotionally drained.

Stacy's continual presence in the hospital over the past few months had also put a slight damper on their relationship. Cameron wasn't sure what it was, but she swore that sometimes it felt as though Stacy was attempting to insert herself back into House's life. She wasn't sure why she felt this way. House didn't really have any contact with her unless he needed a lawyer, which, unfortunately, occurred often. There was just a feeling that worried her despite her best attempts to quell it.

The alarm beeped persistently once more and with a sigh, Cameron pulled herself out of bed and proceeded with her morning routine. She knew that she would be first in the office, with Chase and Foreman following shortly afterwards. House would appear much later, as per usual.

Once she was dressed and ready to face the day, Cameron gathered her purse and keys and headed out the door, making sure it was locked behind her. She trotted down the stairs towards the apartment building's front door and to her car. When she opened the car door, a loud rumble thundered, surprising her and she jerked her head towards the origin of the sound.

She found a man on a motorcycle wearing a helmet parked in front of her car. She glared at the unknown man as he twisted the bike handle again to make the bike rumble once more before turning it off. He pulled his helmet off and Cameron was awarded with a glance of the man who had occupied her thoughts the entire morning.

"Greg?" Cameron asked, wondering why he was riding a motorcycle. "What's this?"

"This, my dear, is what we call a motorcycle." House replied, sarcasm coloring his words. "Or crotch rocket, if you prefer."

Cameron rolled her eyes in response. "Yes, I can see that. Why do you have it?"

"Because it makes me look super cool and attracts all the hot ladies," he replied as though it was the most obvious answer.

"Better not be attracting anyone else," Cameron muttered to herself. If House had heard her, he didn't react. "Where do you keep your cane?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

House reached down and pulled his cane off a hook that had been attached to the side of the bike. He lifted it up to display it, twirling it once in his hand before placing it back in it's original spot, a ghost of a smile on his face.

"I thought Wilson gave you the money for a new car." she said, closing the car door and stepping closer to him.

"He did. But this is better," House said in response. He picked up his helmet and tossed it to her. "I thought I'd give you a ride to work. Test this puppy out."

Cameron caught the helmet and looked at him, surprise on her face. "And tell everyone what? _You_ aren't due into work for another," she paused, taking a quick peek at her watch. "…Two hours."

House sighed. "Who cares?" he asked, annoyance entering his voice. "You coming or not?"

Cameron contemplated the matter for a few seconds, attempting to weigh the pros and cons while House waited with an expectant look on his face. Cameron allowed a smile to form as she glanced at House's puppy-dog eyes. Rolling her eyes, she pulled the helmet over her head and hoisted herself behind House on the motorcycle, using his shoulder to steady herself. Once she was settled in behind him, House grabbed her wrists and wrapped them tightly around his waist.

"Hold on tight," he told Cameron. "This is gonna be fun."

"Why does that scare me?" Cameron asked.

House's response was only a light chuckle before he revved the bike up once more and kicked it into gear. He slowly pulled out into the street before quickly accelerating. Not expecting the sudden speed, Cameron shrieked and tightened her grasp and closed her eyes as House sped down the street towards the hospital.

No one paid any attention to the two of them as they entered the hospital together. House strode across the lobby, helmet in hand and a small bounce in his uneven gait. Cameron trailed behind him on unsteady legs. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about House's new mode of transportation. Maybe it was the way House drove that left her shaky; he had sped down the busy streets, weaving in and out of traffic at unlawful speeds, cutting extremely close to other vehicles as he passed them. She would have thought he was drunk if she didn't know better. She had a small feeling that it was House's way of showing-off, though she wished he would find alternative methods if he truly felt the need to.

House made it to the open elevator before her and held the door open. She sped up her pace and stepped inside. Once the doors closed, House gave Cameron a big, goofy smile. "Was that fun or what?" he asked gleefully, referring to the motorcycle.

Cameron gave him an incredulous look, but was unable to keep it as his glee became slightly contagious. "Maybe for you," she replied, a smile on her face.

"You didn't like it?" House asked, slightly stunned.

Cameron pondered for a second before answering. "Maybe a little," she replied, lifting herself to her tiptoes to place a small kiss to his lips. "Just promise me you won't kill yourself with that thing."

The elevator doors opened, signaling that they had reached the top floor of the hospital. Cameron took the lead and stepped out, with House following close on her heels. "Scout's honor," House said in response to her statement. "Too bad I was never actually in boy scouts," he added as an afterthought.

Cameron rolled her eyes as they reached the diagnostics department and entered the conference room. Foreman was already seated in the conference room, perusing a patient file. Chase was also sitting at the table, but his attention was drawn towards the whiteboard, attempting to decipher the illegible handwriting that had been scribbled on the surface. Next to the board, black dry-erase marker in hand, stood Wilson. At the sound of the door opening, all three men looked at them. The appearance of Cameron at this early hour wasn't a surprise, but the addition of House caused puzzled expressions to appear.

"You're early," Foreman addressed House, his eyes darting quickly between House and Cameron as though he was trying ascertain why they had arrived together.

House tossed the helmet at Foreman who caught it inches from his face. "Thought I'd see what all the hype was about. All the cool kids are doing it." He ignored Foreman's glare and turned his attention to Wilson. "Don't you have your own office?"

Wilson capped the marker and pointed towards the conference table, where two other identical case files rested. Cameron took a seat at the table and opened one of the folders and began reading one of them. "We're discussing your new patient," Wilson said, knowing House wouldn't read the file himself until he had more information.

House placed his backpack on the small desk and pulled his jacket off. "Must be a boring discussion, seeing as I haven't accepted a new patient."

"You accepted him the moment I loaned you five grand," Wilson said, determined not to let House dismiss him.

House jerked his head toward Wilson. "Oh, wait, wait," he said. "When I said I'd do anything for the money obviously I didn't mean it."

Wilson resisted rolling his eyes at House's words; instead he drew House's attention back to the patient. "You're going to like this. Kid's getting shocked every few minutes." As he said this, House took the file from him and began to skim through it.

"Why would you need five thousand dollars?" Chase spoke up, curiosity getting the better of him. Beside him Cameron pretended to be intrigued as well though she knew perfectly well what he used the money for. She had experienced it first hand that morning.

"Bad night at poker or a great night with a hooker?" Chase continued his questioning. Cameron felt herself bristle slightly at Chase's unwitting insult.

House looked up from the file he had in his hand and noticed Cameron's reaction and her quick attempt to repress it before addressing Chase. "Thank you for saving me the trouble of deflecting that personal question with a joke." He turned a page in the file before speaking again. "College student?" he asked Wilson. "Nitrous oxide's fun at parties. Caused the shocks, and drinking till we puke every night can cause everything else. Give him some B12."

Wilson nodded his head. "Been there, done that. Also ruled out cancer, MS, pyridoxine toxicity and all the popular neuropathies."

"Cervical spondylosis?" Cameron suggested, speaking up for the first time since arriving.

Wilson shook his head. "Doesn't explain the low white count."

House took a deep breath before spouting out his next words. "He's black. I'm assuming he's not just really dirty, but is of African descent, which means he'd have a lower white count."

"Not this low," Chase replied, looking at the patient file in front of him.

"Behcet's?" Cameron spoke up once more, taking the autoimmune side of the differential.

"No skin lesions," Wilson answered, rejecting the diagnosis.

"Cervical herpes zoster, myelitis…" House began to spout out suggestion after suggestion.

"No external outbreak," Wilson interrupted him.

House looked at Wilson and the file, clearly stumped. He took a deep breath before turning his attention to his team. "Something's missing. Find out what it is."

"Uh, I don't even know what that means," Foreman spoke up for the first time since the differential began.

"Well, figure it out," House replied. "Find it out, then find me. I'll be… avoiding Cuddy." House walked into his office, closing the blinds behind him and effectively ending the differential.

* * *

**I cut this chapter a little shorter than my plan was because it was beginning to get completely out of hand length wise and I figured this was as good a place as any to end the chapter…**

**Some dialog 'borrowed,' 'pilfered,' 'stolen,' or whatever word you want to use from the episode "Daddy's Boy." I'm not ever going to attempt to write medical jargon… I'm an art history major, we just look at pictures. Medical stuff is beyond my reach. ****:)**


	12. Chapter 11

**Author's Notes: Just wanted to say how much I appreciate the reviews. I hope I haven't lost any of you due to my erratic posting lately. I'm trying to get better at it… ****:)**

**And, um, yeah, notice the increase in the rating? Yeah, that was done on purpose…**

**Major thanks to the awesome naika7 for beta-ing this… :D**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Daddy's Boy Pt 2**

At the end of the traditional workday, the team had a possible diagnosis. Darnell, the patient, was currently stable after the latest round of medication. It appeared as though Darnell's condition was improving as he was sitting up on his own and got his appetite back, but House wanted someone to stay behind. Nurses could have monitored the patient, but House didn't want to take chances nor did he trust them, so he had a member of his team stay. And, as luck would have it, it was Cameron's turn for the nightshift.

Cameron sat in the darkened conference room, eyes glued to her brightly lit laptop screen and hands clasping a bag of M&Ms. She had closed the blinds to keep prying eyes at bay. The fourth floor was peacefully silent, save for the quiet ding of the elevator in the distance. Her glasses perched on the edge of her nose, Cameron scanned over the latest _Battlestar Gallactica _fan fiction. House never understood her affection for reading fan fiction, because she watched the show _every _single time was on; surely that was enough. She insisted that fans sometimes wrote better outcomes than the actual screenwriters. House had just rolled his eyes and gone about poking fun at her obsession. Turnabout was fair play and she would tease him about his love of medical soap operas; he already lived in one so why subject himself to the badly written scripts and horrible acting?

Cameron internally jumped up and down with joy when she noticed that a story that she had been reading had updated. She eagerly clicked on the link and scanned the end of the last chapter to refresh her memory before quickly reading the new one.

"That doesn't look like what I pay you do to," Cameron heard House's voice to her right, his breath tickling her ear as he hovered over her shoulder looking at her laptop.

"_Cuddy _pays me. Otherwise, I'd never see a check," Cameron replied, turning her head slightly towards his and smiling up at him.

"How did you know it was me?" House asked, pouting slightly. He had wanted to startle her for no reason other than it was fun to irritate her.

"Heard the elevator," Cameron replied, closing her laptop and removing her glasses. She watched as House moved to the small corner desk and pull the office chair out before sitting down. "The patient's stable. I just checked on him a few minutes ago, so I assume that's not why you're here."

"I'm _bored_," House whined, spinning around in his chair.

"Oh, poor baby," Cameron quipped, feigning sympathy.

"Oh, bitchy," House replied, a smirk on his face.

"So, you, what? Decided to come bug me?" Cameron ignored House's jab.

House shrugged, twirling his cane around. "That, among other things," he said in a tone of voice that left no question as to what his intentions were.

Cameron rolled her eyes. "God, is that all you think about?"

"Around you, yes." He leered at her, emphasizing his point.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Cameron said, sarcasm in her voice.

"You should. You know I don't give them to just anybody," House said, blatantly ignoring her annoyance with him.

Cameron took a deep breath to clear her thoughts. She looked at him thoughtfully, a small smile on her face. She knew why he had come back to the hospital after hours, even if he would never admit it; especially since it really hadn't been long since he sent Chase and Foreman home.

She stood and walked towards him with House watching her every move. She pulled up her skirt and settled herself on his lap. He gladly accepted her, reaching up to place a hand behind her head and bringing her in for a kiss. Cameron smiled into the kiss, parting her lips to deepen it. House's free hand ran up and down her thigh, caressing her soft skin.

"You know," House said, pulling away from her. "I've noticed that you tend to spend a lot of time in this position."

Cameron shrugged, wrapping her arms around his neck. "What can I say? I like the sense of control it gives me," she said, smiling brightly down at him.

"Control, huh?" House asked, skeptically. "What makes you think you have any control over me?"

Cameron smirked before grinding her hips against his, causing a gasp to escape his lips. "Oh, no reason," she replied innocently. "Besides, it's the best seat in the house," she said, leaning in close to him.

"Oh, wow, did you come up with that all by yourself?" House asked, amused by her lame attempt at a pun.

"Oh, shut up," she replied, crushing her lips to his in a deep kiss. House moaned into the kiss, pulling her closer to him and moving his hands from her thighs to her lower back. He ran his hands gently over her before pulling at the fabric of her vest. "Why the hell do you have to wear these damn things?" he asked against her lips. "They take too damn long to take off."

Cameron ignored his remark about her wardrobe choices and continued to kiss him as he fumbled around for the buttons before growing frustrated and pulling away from her kiss. "Oh, fuck. This one doesn't have any damn buttons," he growled, realizing that it was a sweater vest.

Cameron rolled her eyes at his frustration. "I am not having sex with you here," she told him as he slipped his hands under her vest, pushing it up.

"So says the woman who is currently helping me take _off _her clothes," House said with a smirk as Cameron lifted her arms, allowing him to pull the vest over her head.

"Momentary loss of control, I assure you," Cameron replied, nearing her lips back to his. House moved his hands to the front of her white button down shirt. Feeling his fingers on the first button, she snapped out of her sexual haze and slapped his hand away. "Not here."

House's jaw went slack at her words. "Why the hell not?" He squirmed underneath her, his need becoming more obvious.

"First off, we're in the hospital. Anyone could walk in on us. I seem to remember us deciding to keep it quiet at work. If we get caught, I'll get transferred, or worse, fired," Cameron explained quickly. "Secondly, did I mention that someone could _walk in _on us?"

"That's part of the thrill," House said, hoping to get her mind off her worries.

Cameron let out a scoff before glaring at him, angry that he seemed to be treating her legitimate concerns as a joke. "This isn't funny, Greg. There could be some serious repercussions if we're caught."

"I know that," House said, seriously. "But, 'repercussions?' You make it sound like we're doing something illegal. Besides, you were the one who started it this time," he pointed out.

"Yeah, and I'm beginning to see what a mistake that was," she replied, moving to stand up but House grabbed her hips, keeping her on his lap.

Cameron huffed in annoyance. She opened her mouth to tell him off but was silenced as his hand moved to her face, attempting to bring her gaze to his but she refused to give him what he wanted. "Hey," he said, gently. The tone of his voice caused her eyes to snap to his. "I know this is serious," he spoke. "Trust me, I know. I'm not going to purposefully do anything that'll cost you your job or your reputation. I could care less about my own rep, but I am aware of yours."

Cameron nodded in response, relaxing in his hold. House reached up and drew her lips in for another kiss. She eagerly returned it, parting her lips slightly. When he knew that she was completely relaxed against him once more, he pulled away slightly to speak. "The doors are locked, the blinds closed tight. It's dark in here, and we are the only ones on this floor. Provided that you can keep your voice down, we'll be safe," he finished with a smirk.

Cameron rolled her eyes at his comment about her tendency to be vocal during sex. "What about your leg?" she asked. "I can't possibly imagine this is comfortable."

House shrugged off her concern. "Took enough Vicodin to knock out a horse."

"Oh, well then, I don't get why we're even talking about this. This'll be over before it even begins," she quipped, flashing him a grin.

"Ha ha." He grasped her hips tightly and pulled her down hard against his hips, his erection pressing against her center. Cameron gasped at the contact. "Does this feel like it'll be over quick?"

"You're just a freak of nature, aren't you?" she replied, breathlessly. "Are you sure you didn't slip any little blue pills in with your Vicodin?"

House chuckled, bringing his lips to hers once more. His tongue pressed against her lips, begging entrance. Cameron complied and House deepened the kiss. She felt House smile slightly into the kiss before pulling away to take a breath. "Control my ass," he said.

"God, will you just shut the hell up?" she growled, forcing his lips back to hers.

House's hands moved to the buttons on her top once more. He quickly undid them and opened her shirt. He pulled away from her lips and trailed down to her neck, placing soft open mouth kisses along her jaw line. Cameron moaned quietly as he moved his left hand up her ribcage before cupping her breast, teasing her nipple through the satiny fabric of her bra. Cameron moved her hands to his belt as he smoothed his other hand over her thigh. "You have no idea how happy I am you decided to wear a skirt today," House whispered against her neck.

Cameron let out a shaky breath as his right hand disappeared under her skirt. "Greg," she breathed his name as his hand trailed ever so slowly towards his goal.

"Yes, Allison?" House asked smugly, pleased with her overly aroused state.

"I - oh, God - I want you to -"

RING! RING!

The sound of the phone ringing through the office was like a bucket of cold water. Cameron jumped in surprise, jostling House's marred thigh. He groaned loudly in pain as she pulled her shirt tight around her body, eyes dancing around the room to make sure they were still alone before her brain registered that it was the phone and not intruders.

"Fuck," House growled harshly, both at the pain in his leg and the interruption.

The phone continued its shrill ringing as House attempted to return to what he was doing before the interruption. Cameron slapped his hand away from her thigh as she realized his intentions. "Ignore it," House said, moving his lips to her neck.

Cameron leaned back slightly, trying to pull away from him. "It could be the patient," she told him, pointedly.

House looked up at her, dead set to get back to what he was doing, but her resolute gaze stopped him. "Fine," he said, huffily, sighing deeply. He reached over and picked up the phone. "Yeah?" he greeted, not bothering to hide his annoyance.

Cameron watched him as his expression changed from irritation to something akin to worry. "Mom? What's wrong?" House spoke into the phone.

Cameron's ears perked up at the mention of his mother. She had never called the office before while she was here and judging from House's reaction she didn't call this late before either. Feeling slightly awkward, sitting on his lap, half dressed, while he spoke to his mother, Cameron quickly buttoned up a few buttons and pushed herself to her feet.

When House realized her intentions, he pulled the phone away from his face slightly and gave her quizzical look. "Hey, where are you going?" he asked a hand on her arm, apparently not bothered that his mother could hear him talking to someone else.

"I'm going to go check on the patient. Give you some privacy," she replied.

"You don't have to."

"Yeah, I do," she said, pulling her arm away from him and re-buttoning her shirt as she made her way to the door.

"Fine, suit yourself," he replied, watching her as she left the room.

"Who are you talking to?" House heard his mother ask over the line.

"Oh," he hesitated slightly. "Um, someone."

"Well, I figured that," his mother replied. "Am I going to meet this someone?" House swore he could hear her knowing smile over the line.

"Maybe," he replied cryptically. "Now, why are you calling so late?"

"It's not _that_ late, honey. It's only, oh, 10:30," she said, pausing slightly to indicate that she was looking at the clock. "I called your apartment first, but you didn't answer. Your cell phone is dead, _again_. I thought that maybe you had to work late, so I decided to give your office a try. It's not as though you're impossible to get a hold of, honey. Though, I suppose you could have been at this someone's place," she explained, her tone signifying that she wanted to know more about the woman she heard in the background.

"Maybe," House danced around the subject of Cameron and tried to focus on why she was calling. "So, what's going on?"

He heard his mother take a breath as she got the hint. "Your father and I are going to Europe this weekend. We have a layover in Newark Thursday evening. Now, I know you are extremely busy, but I was hoping that we could tear you away from work long enough to take you to dinner," his mother finished, with a tinge of hopefulness in her voice.

House wavered. While he did want to see his mother that also meant having to see his father which was something he was not keen on doing, but his mother's hopeful tone discouraged him from turning her down. "Um, yeah," he said, finally. "We could do that."

"Oh, great!" she exclaimed, unable to keep her glee out of her voice. "Maybe you could invite your 'someone' along with us," she added.

House rolled his eyes at his mother's persistence. "I'll see what I can do," he said, hoping that would appease her.

"Okay, dear," she replied. "I will meet her before I leave, you know? You can't hide her forever."

House sighed. "Yes, Mom. I know."

"Well, your father is calling me," she said, just as House heard his father's voice distantly over the phone line. "I'll call back with the details…probably tomorrow. Take care, honey. I love you," his mother said before hanging up.

House put the receiver down and leaned back in the chair. He took a deep breath, trying to clear his thoughts. His father was the last person he wanted to see. There had to be a way out of this. He saw the blinds move slightly out of the corner of his eye and noticed a slight silhouette through them. "You can come in now," he called out. "I can hear your curiosity through the door."

The door opened almost hesitantly and Cameron stepped back in. "What's going on?" she asked.

House shook his head. "Nothing important," he said, not wanting to go into details at the moment. "I'll tell you later." He stood up, his earlier discomfort still slightly noticeable. "Is the patient stable?"

Cameron nodded. "Yeah."

"Good," he said, stepping forward and grabbing her arm. "Let's go."

"Hold on," she said, pulling her arm from his hand. "Where are we going?"

"Home," House said simply. "You and I have some unfinished business to attend to," he added, waggling his eyebrow. He latched onto her arm once more and tugged her slightly towards the door.

"But what about the patient?" she asked. "I can't just leave."

"The nurses can monitor him," he replied. "He'll be fine. But I won't be if I don't get _my_ problem seen to."

Cameron hesitated. House sighed. "Just think of this as a free night off. No one will ever know," House said, hoping to convince her.

She caved. "Fine. Just let me get my stuff. I'll be right behind you."

"Good girl."

* * *

**AN: The **_**Battlestar Gallactica **_**reference is homage to Jennifer Morrison's favorite sci-fi show ****:)**** I've never watched it… but I read somewhere that she was a huge fan. **


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: ****I'm sorry this chapter took so long to update. I was experiencing a major case of writer's block surrounding certain elements of this chapter, so it's not my favorite. **

**I also just realized that I made a mistake in the last chapter. I referred to the patient as Darnell…when it's actually Carnell. Oops… And I realized that I completely screwed up the order of events in my _Daddy's Boy_ timeline…I'll try to work with the rest as best as I can. :) I probably should have watched the episode sooner rather than later, but oh well.I also just realized that I made a mistake in the last chapter. I referred to the patient as Darnell…when it's actually Carnell. Oops… And I realized that I completely screwed up the order of events in my _Daddy's Boy_ timeline…I'll try to work with the rest as best as I can. :) I probably should have watched the episode sooner rather than later, but oh well.**

**Major thanks to naika7 for being my beta and my sister slwmtiondaylite for making sure things stayed on track and for telling me not to change my story regardless of anything. **

* * *

**Chapter 12 - Daddy's Boy Pt 3**

Limping into the living room with his cane in one hand and a bowl of popcorn in the other, House settled on his couch, ready for his evening to begin. He placed the popcorn on his lap and reached for the remote control, rapidly scrolling through the programming. _The L Word_ was on in five. He found the channel and set his DVR to record it; Cameron would be upset if she missed it. Over the months, he had persuaded, or more accurately, forced Cameron to watch his favorite television shows. She had protested at first, insisting that those types of shows were not her cup-of-tea, but House gleefully noticed that she became more and more intrigued by them. Though, she never let him forget that those types of shows were generally geared towards women in the first place**,** so it was not unusual for _her _to become hooked. Him, on the other hand…well, that was a different story.

Fifteen minute**s** into the show, House heard the sound of a key turning in the lock. He didn't bother getting up as it was either Wilson or Cameron, most likely the latter, judging by the time on the clock. The door opened and the sound of keys hitting the table and a duffel bag landing on the floor told him that his assumption was correct. House kept his gaze on the television as Cameron made her way to the couch.

She landed on the cushions with a thud and a sigh of relief. "Next time, _you're_ going to New York."

House had sent Cameron to find all the friends of their patient, Carnell, who went with him to Jamaica to make sure that none of them were sick. Cameron had spent the day getting in touch with all of them. All except a young man who had the misfortune of being named Taddy. She had tried to reason with him by telling him that his friend's life was in danger and that they needed to see him to make sure he was not exhibiting similar symptoms.

However, it was all for naught because Taddy refused to leave the confines of his office, citing that he had just been hired and the company was busy working on a merger. As a result, Cameron had to drive into Manhattan to see if there was anything wrong with him and to question him about Carnell. She quickly discovered that Taddy had a fungus growing on his groin. Whether or not it was related to Carnell's illness remained to be seen, but she took some scrapings to be tested and then made her way home. And with the traffic being as it is in New York, it took her longer than she wanted. She was just glad the day was finally over.

House shook his head in response to Cameron's statement. "Nope. That's why I get paid the big bucks. To make my lackeys do it for me," he said smugly. Cameron gave him a sigh of disgust and he glanced over at her. "So, what did you find out?"

Cameron held her hand up as a signal for him to stop talking. "No. I'm off the clock. I am _not _talking about work right now. You can wait until tomorrow and find out with the rest of the boys."

House grunted his disapproval but said nothing further about it. She was right. They didn't need to mix work with home. He turned his attention back to the television and Cameron did the same. She leaned over and reached into his bowl for a handful of popcorn. "Hey, get your own," House said but made no move to stop her.

Cameron settled closer to him, resting her head against his shoulder as she turned her attention back to the TV. Before they got together six months ago, Cameron never would have pegged House to be one for close physical contact**,** but he had proved her wrong. At first, she was hesitant to initiate contact because she didn't want to come across as clingy, but she was surprised when he instigated the contact most of the time. She supposed it was a hidden desire for intimacy after his years of self-imposed isolation.

They sat in silence as they watched the final twenty minutes of their show. When the screen faded to the end credits, Cameron spoke up, breaking the comfortable silence. "The guy's boss thought I was a hooker. Asked me to leave him my card."

It wasn't what she wanted to say, but she figured she would ease into a conversation about his parents. Anytime anyone brought up the subject of his parents coming to town over the last couple of days, he had become annoyed. She wasn't entirely sure what his problem was because he never answered her questions, but she didn't want to upset him if she could help it.

House gave a short laugh and turned to her. "Seriously?" He asked, his curiosity kicking in.

Cameron gave a short nod. "Oh, yeah. He came in and found us in what he thought was a rather…precarious position. I tried telling him that I was a doctor, but he clearly didn't get it. It was somewhat amusing."

"The guy must be an idiot," House said, flipping through the channels. "You're _way _prettier than any hookers I've seen."

Cameron gave him a small smile, accepting his small compliment without comment. She sat up and leaned forward to pick up a magazine off the coffee table while House continued channel surfing. She thumbed through the magazine without actually reading it while watching House out of the corner of her eye. When she felt that he was comfortable, she decided to carefully broach the subject of parents.

"So, tomorrow's Thursday," she said. She kept gaze on the magazine, wanting to appear as nonchalant as she could.

House groaned loudly. "God, don't remind me."

"Have you told your parents that dinner is okay?" She asked, ignoring him. She glanced at him and saw him run his hand over his face in frustration.

House ignored her question, instead focusing on a way to get out of it. "I wonder if I could convince Cuddy to give me clinic duty tomorrow night. She's always bugging me to spend more time down there."

"The clinic is closed at night," Cameron replied matter-of-factly, turning the page of her magazine.

"But there's always something that needs to be done," he said, pleased with his idea. "I could do the paperwork."

"You don't even do your _own _paperwork," she said, growing slightly annoyed with his avoidance of the situation at hand. It had been mildly amusing at first, but now it was beginning to bother her. "You could just do what everyone else does and lie to them. Tell her you have a meeting you can't get out of."

House shook his head. "I can't lie to my mom. She's a human polygraph."

"Why are you so gung ho about not seeing them anyway?" Cameron asked, wanting to know more. "What is it about them that makes you so…?" She paused briefly, trying to find the right word. "Uptight?"

House huffed. "I am _not _uptight," he protested. He turned the television off and tossed the remote down on the coffee table, feeling satisfied when it landed with a loud clunk. "Enough about my parents. Let's talk about yours," He said, turning the tables on her.

Cameron remained silent but gave him a warning glare. "See," he continued, ignoring her look. "Didn't think so."

"You know the story there. I've already told you everything," Cameron said quietly, her eyes downcast.

House took a deep breath before pulling himself to his feet. He grabbed his now empty bowl and headed towards the kitchen, leaving Cameron behind. He tossed the bowl in the sink not bothering to wash it and opened his refrigerator to grab a beer. He popped it open and turned around to see Cameron standing across the room, hands on her hips.

"Do you not want me to meet them?" She asked, eyebrows raised. "I don't have to if it makes you _that _uncomfortable."

House sighed, wishing that she would just drop the subject. "No, it's not that," he said, shaking his head. He took a swig of his beer. "Actually," he spoke again after a split second of thinking. "Yeah, that'd be perfect."

Cameron looked slightly taken aback for a moment. She quickly pulled herself back together and crossed her arms over her chest in her classic defensive move. She took a deep breath while House watched her carefully. Eventually she nodded in defeat. "Okay," she said, trying not to sound upset. "I'll just clear the area when they stop by."

House shrugged. "Whatever."

Cameron took that as her cue to leave and began to exit the kitchen. She halted at the entrance and contemplated her next words. She turned around to face him once more. He had turned towards the window and was taking another swig of his beer, clearly trying to wrap his mind around his current situation. "Did, uh," she faltered slightly. "Did Stacy ever meet your parents?"

"What the hell?" House spoke up, aggravation entering his voice. "What the hell does she have to do with anything?"

"Well, because lately I've had to pester you just to find anything out. I'm sorry for wanting to know more about you**,** but ever since Stacy's been here you've been…different." Cameron felt a small inkling of anger enter her voice. "You've become more closed off - not that you were ever open in the first place."

"You're imagining things," House replied. "I could care less about Stacy. And I don't see the need to tell you everything about me."

Cameron scoffed. "I'm sorry, I thought that was part of a healthy relationship. Talking to each other; about past and family."

"I don't do talks. Not now, not ever. I would've thought that you learned that by now**,** but perhaps I overestimated your learning curve." It was spoken harshly with the intent to sting.

"Fine. Forget I mentioned it," Cameron replied brusquely, anger mixed with hurt entering her voice. She knew she wasn't going to get anything else out of him, at least not tonight. She'd have to find another source of information or let him cool his head. Taking a series of deep breaths to calm herself, Cameron announced, "I'm going to bed."

House stared after her as she quickly turned and headed towards the bedroom. He heard his bedroom door shut loudly behind her. Truth be told, he was surprised that she didn't leave his apartment and head back to her own. He knew he wasn't being fair to her and that what she said was true, but he just wasn't ready to have these kinds of conversations. Not with her or anyone else.

Angry with Cameron, but more angry with himself and his inability to give her what she needed, House took his beer and headed back to the couch. He absently scanned through the channels on the television in a fruitless attempt at ridding his mind of his thoughts. He settled on a channel that was airing a science-fiction movie that was as bad as it was stupid_. _His mind blanked out as he watched the actors stumble through a badly written plot and awkward dialogue. The last thing he remembered hearing was the pathetic pleas of the main heroine before his eyes drifted close and he succumbed to sleep.

* * *

Cameron woke with a start. Momentarily disoriented, she slowly came to the realization that she was in House's bed and she was alone. While that was not entirely unusual, she had a feeling that she had been alone the entire night. And that _was _unusual. Normally, whenever House came to bed after her, she woke slightly due to his noisy bedtime preparations and the movements of the bed. She didn't recall waking at all last night. And for some reason, that worried her.

Stretching slightly, Cameron raised her eyes to the alarm next to the bed and saw that it was six in the morning, about the time she usually woke. She pulled herself to a sitting position and saw that the bedroom door was still closed; another sign that she had slept alone. House usually kept it open when he came to bed.

Cameron sighed as she thought back to their argument from last night. She knew she probably should not have pushed him regarding his parents, and she definitely should not have mentioned Stacy, but she couldn't help herself. She knew she wasn't seeing things when she told him that he had become more distant as of late. Whether it had to deal with his parents or Stacy, she didn't know. But she wanted to know. She _needed _to know.

Perhaps she went about it the wrong way. If House wasn't going to tell her anything, then there had to be someone who would be willing to. Maybe it was time to have a conversation with Wilson. Despite dating House for six months, she and Wilson rarely had any one-on-one time, unless it dealt with a case. Cameron knew that House trusted him more than anybody else and that Wilson had known him a long time. He knew things that she didn't. And he was approachable, something House wasn't.

Her mind made up, Cameron climbed out of bed and gathered her clothes and her duffel bag and made her way to the shower. Thirty minutes later, she felt refreshed and determined as she left the bathroom and headed down the long hallway. In the living room, she cast a glance towards the television that was quietly airing an infomercial advertising the latest useless gadget that you just had to have. House was sprawled out on the couch, snoring lightly. She briefly considered leaving him there despite knowing that he would wake up in pain if he stayed in that position much longer, but her unwavering compassion won out and she moved towards him.

Cameron took the remote from his limp grasp to turn the television off. Kneeling down next to him, she reached out and stroked the side of his face. "Greg?" she whispered. "Wake up."

House shifted slightly and she tried again to wake him, this time speaking louder. "Wake up." Slowly, his eyes opened as he struggled to focus on her. "Get in the bed," she told him.

House nodded in response, not really hearing her in his half**-**awake state. His eyes slipped closed once more and Cameron sighed. She tried once more to wake him up, but received the same response. It was apparently too early for his brain to focus on her or anything else. Shaking her head slightly, Cameron gave up on her pointless efforts. Couldn't say she didn't try.

Cameron gathered her belongings and quietly left the apartment, locking the door behind her. She wanted to get to the hospital early enough to have a chat with Wilson without any interruptions of the misanthropic kind.

* * *

**Well, I originally had House's parents coming onto the scene in this chapter, but it just kept getting longer and longer and my case of writer's block was not going away. So, they will appear in the next chapter. :D For real this time ;) The whole Daddy's Boy arc was supposed to take place over one or two chapters according to my outline, but…it got stretched to 4 chapters (including the next one). I'll try to get the last part of it finished ASAP.**

**Also…I hinted at a backstory regarding Cam's family…I have a theory, but I just don't wanna reveal too much in case something happens in the show… But, if there's not a definitive Cam!Backstory by the end of season 5... I'm gonna make things up :)**


	14. Chapter 13

**Author's Notes Here it is…a huge monster of a chapter. It's well over 5000 words long. I wanted to get the 'Daddy's Boy' portion of my story done, so I just clumped the rest of it in one chapter :). **

**Thanks so everyone who has reviewed so far. Your comments really make my day and are the reason I actually felt compelled to keep writing hugs**

**Major thanks to my twin sister, ****slwmtiondaylite****, for her constant prodding me into writing what I feel like I need to instead of letting others tell me what to write. So, I'm going to attempt to do just that. :) And for informing me that I'm a 'comma-whore'…**

**And of course, a HUGE shout-out to my beta, ****naika7****. She has been a constant beam of support and help. hugs**

**Enough of my stuff, here's what you really want, the chapter….**

* * *

**Chapter 13 - Daddy's Boy Pt 4 **

* * *

Wilson sat at his desk, pen in hand. He had arrived early to complete a pile of paperwork that he had been putting off. He loved his job, but, like most doctors, he preferred not doing paperwork. At least he did it, however, unlike a certain someone who shall remain unnamed.

There were times when he wondered why he went into the field of Oncology instead of another area of medicine. There were so many patients who walked through his door with hopeful looks on their faces (maybe the lump was benign, maybe the scans were wrong), only to leave with a death sentence, tears streaming down. A person should never get used to telling someone they were going to die. Sometimes he wanted to walk away from it all. But there was a large part of him that was unable to walk away. If he could help these people manage even the tiniest bit, then it was worth it all; worth the pain, the suffering; just for those few seconds of happiness.

But then again, maybe he was a glutton for punishment, which would explain his friendship with House. The curmudgeonly doctor was notorious for 'take, take, take' and never giving in return. Though even Wilson would admit, House had changed, even if only a little bit, since he entered his relationship with Cameron. He still made nurses cry, shirked his responsibilities, and was a world-class jerk to just anyone who stepped in his path, but Wilson would swear that he seemed a little happier. Or at least what passed for happiness with House.

A quiet knock abruptly pulled his attention from his task as he turned to see the head of Allison Cameron hesitantly peeking through his door. Wilson flashed a brief smile as he greeted her. She returned the smile before speaking. "Um, do you have a minute?"

"Yeah, sure. Come in," Wilson replied, setting his pen down, relieved to have an excuse to stop writing in his files. Cameron stepped in and closed the door behind her. As she moved towards the chair across from his desk, he spoke up. "You need my help with a patient?" he asked, assuming that she was coming to him about a possible cancer diagnosis for their patient.

Cameron looked at him as she sat down and shook her head. "Um, no. This is personal."

Wilson nodded, now understanding her hesitance at the door. "Ah, House."

Cameron gave him a tight-lipped smile and nodded. "Yeah."

Wilson took a deep breath and ran his hands tiredly over his face. "What did he do?" he asked, sounding as though he wanted to strangle House.

Cameron gave him a confused shake of the head. "Uh, he didn't do anything."

Wilson let out a huge sigh as he pulled his arms away from his face. "Well, that's a relief," he told her honestly.

"It's more of what he's _not _doing," she replied cryptically. At Wilson's puzzled look, she elaborated. She told him of their argument from the night before and House's increasingly distant behavior, especially when it regarded the topic of his parents. He was aware of the dinner date that House's mother had insisted on and, having more background information on his friend's past than the woman sitting before him, Wilson believed he understood House's reluctance for Cameron to meet his parents. And it didn't have anything to do with her but more to do with his father.

But how much could or should he tell Cameron? He was sure that House would not be okay if he spilled all the horrid details regarding his family life without giving him a choice in the matter. But Cameron clearly needed some reassurance that she wasn't getting from House.

"So, what do you think I should do?" Cameron asked as she finished up her explanation. She looked at Wilson with an almost hopeful expression which caused Wilson to inwardly groan. Why did it seem that he was always picking up after House? He didn't want to let her down.

"Well, first off, I can tell you that it's not you he's worried about," he said, trying to assure her without betraying House's confidence.

"Well, then, what is it?" She asked, not satisfied with his answer.

Wilson contemplated his words for a minute while Cameron looked at him, eyes demanding an answer. Sighing, Wilson relented. "It's his father. They don't exactly see eye to eye. On a lot of things."

Cameron scoffed, surprising Wilson. "That's it? A lot of people don't get along with their parents."

"True," Wilson agreed with her. "But House is, well…You know how he is. He saunters around proclaiming not to give a damn what anybody thinks and that emotions are overrated when in reality he's probably the most insecure person I know. At least when it comes to his father," he finished, feeling as though he had probably already revealed too much.

Cameron sat in silence, contemplating Wilson's words. They made sense to her and she knew that he was right about the vulnerability that House tried desperately to bury by hiding in quips and fancy one-liners. She was curious about why House and his father clashed, but she felt that it was better left alone for now. Instead, she should focus on the matter at hand. "So, what should I do? Let it pass or…what?"

Wilson thought for a second before answering. "I think you need to take charge of the situation, because it's clear House isn't going to do it. Be more – and I can't believe I'm saying this – but more like House. You know, when he's himself."

Cameron nodded slowly, taking it in. "So…" She dragged the word out. "I should stake out the hallway, hide behind corners, wait for a sign of his parents, and then walk in and say, 'Hi, I'm Allison. I'm doing your son?'" She finished with a smirk on her face, clearly amused.

Wilson let out a chuckle. "Okay, maybe that won't work. Take charge of the situation. Be forceful, but not overbearing. It just might entice him to be more accommodating."

"Okay, got it," Cameron replied, flashing Wilson a brilliant smile. "Thank you so much."

Wilson returned her infectious smile and said, "Any time. You know where to find me." He watched as Cameron stood and prepared to leave. "Oh!" He called out as she reached the door, wanting to tell her one last thing. Cameron stopped and turned to him, a questioning look on her face. "Can you not mention to House that I said that he was insecure? I have a feeling he wouldn't like that."

Cameron chuckled. "You're probably right about that. Don't worry," she reassured him. "Your secret's safe with me." She gave him one last smile before leaving the office.

Wilson watched as she left, hoping that she would be successful before he resumed his work. He'd find out whether or not she was successful later. He would not be the first to admit to knowing the inner working of House's mind and he knew that Cameron wouldn't either. Perhaps no one could, but at least together, they could attempt to understand him.

* * *

Cameron exited Wilson's office feeling better than she had the night before. Her talk with Wilson helped her understand where House was coming from and while she didn't have all the answers, she felt that it was enough for now. She just needed to slowly peel the layers of House's psyche rather than take it all in one go.

She rounded the corner and found herself back at the Diagnostic Department. She noticed through the glass windows that the rest of the team had arrived and, surprisingly, among them was House. She expected him to arrive later, as he usually did. Perhaps the uncomfortable couch woke him sooner than he wanted or she was more successful in waking him than she previously thought. Either way, it didn't matter, though the look in his eyes told her that he was exhausted.

As she entered the office, all eyes turned to her. Foreman and Chase were in their usual positions around the table while House stood at the mini refrigerator, an energy drink can in his hand. "Morning," she greeted the men as she walked to her desk.

Chase and Foreman returned her greeting while House grunted in response while poking a hole in the bottom of the can. She watched him curiously as he lifted it above his head and took a swig from the bottom. "What are you doing?" she asked, unable to keep it in.

"New delivery system," he replied briefly before finishing the drink.

"Apparently, he got kicked to the couch last night," Chase said by way of explanation, trying to sound as though he knew what House had been complaining about when he came into the office earlier. "I didn't know you were seeing anybody," Chase added, directing the comment towards House. "Anybody we know?"

"Yeah, your mom," House replied.

"She's dead," Chase said.

"What can I say? I like 'em cold," House said shortly, his tone signifying that he was not going to answer the question. Chase rolled his eyes before returning his attention to his crossword puzzle.

"Maybe if you were less of an ass it wouldn't have happened," Cameron said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh, you _know_ I can't do that," House said, looking at her for the first time since she entered the office. Cameron rolled her eyes in response, not noticing Foreman's quirked eyebrow out of the corner of her eye. He kept his eye clandestinely on the bickering doctors in front of him.

"Where have you been?" House asked her, referring to her absence from the office when he arrived.

"Making dinner plans," she replied.

House looked at her curiously. "With who?"

She shrugged. "No one," she said before tearing her eyes away from his before he called her bluff, but it was too late. House was watching her intently. She began to feel slightly uncomfortable under his gaze and tried to turn his attention to the patient. "Don't we have a patient we need to get to?"

* * *

The day passed quickly as they received a break in their case, though it wouldn't prove to be good news. Taddy, the part-time friend of their patient, Carnell, had initially refused to come in and allow House to look at his rash so he could determine whether or not it was relevant. House wanted Cameron to go and get him to come in, but she refused on the knowledge that nothing would tear Taddy away from his job.

She was then told to lie to him, tell him it was a life-threatening disease and that his life hung in the balance. Her moral compass refused to let her do such an action and she went to Cuddy, to inform her of the situation. Cuddy told her that while she couldn't lie to a patient, House was fair game. Cameron was told that telling him his parents were coming in early would be a good excuse to get him to go as he would do anything to get away from them. But Cameron felt uncomfortable doing that as well and had to work herself up to it. After she and House got into a little spat regarding Taddy, she finally worked up the nerve to lie to him, but she was saved by Cuddy making an appearance to inform them that Taddy had, in fact, arrived via ambulance, because he had begun vomiting blood.

After a quick visual and a round of questioning, House determined that they may be dealing with a case of radiation poison. And it was not a small dose like an x-ray, but extremely high levels of radiation exposure. Carnell's father owned a junkyard and found a piece of metal that he had turned into a keychain as a keepsake. Turned out that the radioactive keepsake was what caused his son's spinal tumor that was slowly killing him. Carnell then went into surgery to attempt to remove the tumor from his spine and everyone was waiting for the results, but with his weak immune system, no one was expecting good news.

* * *

Cameron and Foreman had spent a while with the patient's father, explaining the process that would take place in the operating room, wanting him to have as clear an understanding of the situation as he could without medical training. The nurses and orderlies soon arrived to take Carnell so that they could begin prepping him for the long surgery he was to undergo. Once he was under nurses' care, Cameron glanced at the clock on the wall and realized that House's parents were arriving soon. She feigned a yawn and announced to Foreman that she was going to get coffee before she fell asleep on him. Foreman nodded, showing that he had heard her. She then made her way to House's office.

He was sitting at his desk, facing his computer pouring over medical information regarding radiation poisoning and the after effects. All the lights were turned off, except for the tall paper floor lamp and small desk lamp which gave the room an ambient glow.

House looked up when he heard her enter and watched her quietly make her way to the couch against the wall. She slumped against the back of the couch, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be observing the surgery?" House asked, returning his gaze back to his computer screen.

"They haven't started yet. Foreman's still there though. I just needed a break," she answered, keeping her eyes closed.

"Uh-huh," House said, sounding skeptical. "It's not because you're wondering how you can accost my parents and impose your presence on what is going to be an awkward event anyway?" As he said this, he turned his computer off and turned towards her, a quizzical expression on his face.

She lifted her head and looked him in the eye. "And if it is?"

House sighed, but said nothing. He knew he wouldn't be able to stop her from doing what she was determined to do, even if it made him uncomfortable and anxious. She was as stubborn as he was, sometimes even more so. "Fine," he relented, knowing that he probably would give in to her once they arrived anyway.

Cameron felt a smirk tug at the corners of her lips and looked away from House to keep him from catching it. There was no need to gloat about her little victory in this aspect of their relationship. The couple fell into silence as they waited for the arrival of his parents. House, growing bored with the silence and the wait, pulled his Sony PSP® out of the desk and began where he left off in _Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories_. Cameron rolled her eyes when she heard the familiar sound effects. What was it with guys and that game? She would never understand.

House didn't get far in his task of deciding which car to steal before the office door opened and his parents filed in. He quickly deposited the game system back in his desk before his father caught sight of it, while Cameron appeared nervous as she perked up on the couch, watching the scene before her.

"Greg," his mother, Blythe, greeted him warmly as she walked towards him. House stood and welcomed his mother's embrace as he greeted her. He gave a quick nod towards his father before walking around his desk towards Cameron.

She stood next to him, trying not to appear nervous while House awkwardly tried to decide how to introduce her. "Mom, Dad," House began, keeping his gaze from his father. "Um, this is…uh —"

"I'm Allison Cameron," she broke in, stepping forward and holding her hand out. Both Blythe and John shook her hand warmly, smiling at her.

"So, you two, uh, work together?" House's father asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

Cameron and House briefly looked at each other. She opened her mouth to answer, but House cut in before she could answer.

"No," he said quickly. "Well, we work together in the sense that we both work here, in this hospital, but…no, not together." Cameron looked at House, who was avoiding his parents' gaze, and wondered why he lied to them. House recovered quickly and brought his gaze back up, and explained further. "We've, um,..we've been seeing each other for a while."

The reaction from his mother was pure happiness. "Oh!" She exclaimed. "This is the 'someone' you were talking about?" she asked House, who sheepishly smiled and nodded, embarrassed by his mother's reaction. In her happiness for her son, Blythe reached out and pulled Cameron into a hug. While Cameron looked a little surprised by the reaction, she accepted and returned the hug.

House looked to his father while Blythe embraced Cameron, wanting to know his reaction to the news that he was dating the young, beautiful woman beside him, but John's subdued expression gave House no answer. House tore his eyes from his father and glanced at the women in front of him. When Blythe pulled away from Cameron, John's expression changed and he gave Cameron a soft smile.

"Well, Greg," Blythe spoke up, directing her attention to her son. "Are you ready to go to dinner?"

"Uh, yeah," House replied. "I guess so."

"You _are_ coming as well, aren't you, Allison?" Blythe asked Cameron, a smile on her face.

Cameron briefly looked at House, who looked slightly uncomfortable with the idea but nodded almost imperceptibly anyway.

"Yes," Cameron said, smiling at Blythe.

"Wonderful. That'll give us time to get to know each other better," she replied.

Blythe and John moved closer to the exit while Cameron took off her lab coat and placed it over the back of the couch. House went to the coat rack and pulled Cameron's jacket down, thinking he ought to practice a little gentlemanly hospitality while in the sight of his father. Cameron took the jacket, with one eyebrow raised but said nothing. The four of them, with House leading, moved towards the open office door but stopped suddenly when House nearly ran into Foreman.

"Sorry," Foreman said. He opened his mouth to explain his sudden appearance, but came up with silence as he cast a glance over the group; his eyes flitting over who he assumed were House's parents before landing on Cameron who was standing slightly behind House. He cocked his head in confusion as to why she was with them and was about to ask before House promptly interrupted.

"Yeah?" House said impatiently, wanting to pull Foreman's attention away from Cameron and on to the real reason he was there.

"Right, sorry," Foreman snapped out of his confusion. "I just wanted to let you know that Carnell is prepped for surgery, but the forecast isn't optimistic."

House nodded gravely. "Thank you," he said somberly. He knew that the surgery was more than likely a lost cause and they were just grasping for straws, but there wasn't anything else they could do.

Foreman continued to glance between House and Cameron, trying desperately to piece together a puzzle when he didn't have the picture on the box. House stared at him, daring him to say something before finally speaking before this dragged out for the rest of the night. "You can go now," he said, his voice leaving no room for discussion.

"Right," Foreman replied, realizing that he wasn't going to get anywhere with them tonight. He had a lot of questions that demanded explanations, but he could wait. "Goodnight, House, Cameron," he said, pointedly looking at her.

Cameron gave him a tight smile before telling him goodnight as well. That done, Foreman turned on his heel and walked down the hall and out of sight. House and Cameron simultaneously released silent sighs, happy that Foreman hadn't said anything about his obvious confusion regarding what was going on, but worried about what would happen the next day.

"Well, what about that dinner?" John spoke up, sensing the sudden shift in attitude regarding his son and his girlfriend. "Or are we just going to stand here all night?"

House jerked around at the sound of his father's voice. "Um, yeah," House answered. "Let's go."

* * *

"Oh, my," Cameron exclaimed, a wide smile on her face. "He really did that?"

"Yes, he did," Blythe replied, smiling at the young woman across from the table. "He just reached up to the first uniform, since that was all he could see, and called out 'Daddy.' It turned out that 'daddy' was a large African American man. He looked at me and told me that it was okay, his son did it too."

The four of them had made their way to a small, quaint restaurant that was within walking distance of the Princeton-Plainsboro campus in case the two doctors were paged away. Blythe had spent a lot of time filling Cameron in on stories of her son's childhood while Cameron answered questions about their relationship and herself. The two men remained mostly silent, listening in to the conversation between the women while occasionally offering a one-liner or two.

Cameron gave a small laugh. "I bet you were adorable," she said, directing her comment towards House, who had kept his gaze down with obvious embarrassment.

House brought his gaze to hers. "Oh, laugh it up all you want, missy," he replied. "I'm sure you have lots of embarrassing childhood stories of your own."

Cameron just smiled and rolled her eyes in response to House's comment, taking glee in the childhood stories of her grouchy lover. She opened her mouth to offer a retort to his statement but was quickly interrupted by the sound of her beeper going off. Sighing, she pulled it from her belt and glanced at it while House looked at her curiously.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "But I have to take this. You know how it is."

"Of course, dear," Blythe replied, smiling softly. "It was so wonderful to meet you," she said, standing and pulling Cameron in a brief hug.

"You too, Mrs. House," Cameron said sincerely, smiling at the older woman.

"Please, call me Blythe."

"Okay, Blythe," Cameron obliged.

"Do you need me to come with?" House spoke up, sensing that the women were done with their goodbyes.

"No," Cameron replied. "It's nothing that we can't take care of ourselves," she explained. "You stay here with your parents." She leaned down and placed a small kiss on his lips before pulling away. "I'll see you later." House nodded in response and Cameron turned her attention to House's father. "Goodbye, Mr. House. It was nice to meet you."

John nodded. "You too, Allison. Goodbye."

Cameron gave one last smile and left the table, House watching her wistfully. It had been almost comfortable while she was here, but now, he was sure that the real questions would begin and the mood would become awkward.

"She's such a wonderful girl, Greg," his mother spoke up once Cameron had left the building.

House turned his attention to his mother and nodded. "Yeah, she's incredible," he said, a small smile on his face.

"It's the 'girl' part of that I'm having trouble with," John spoke up. "She's awfully young."

"Now, John," Blythe said. "Leave them alone."

"She's older than she looks," House answered his father, eyes darting back and forth between his parents.

John sighed. "There's still a substantial age gap between you two."

"Maybe she likes older men," House interrupted, unable to keep himself from tossing in a comment.

John ignored him as he continued. "Wouldn't she be better off with someone closer to her age?"

House gave a half-hearted shrug. "Maybe," he agreed, feeling more and more agitated with each passing second. This was why he didn't want to do this in the first place; he hated the small feeling that he got in his father's presence. "She chose to be with me. It's not like I didn't try to stop it," he said, hoping that that comment would get his father to back off a little.

"Not hard enough," John chastised House. "Just what are you doing with her, Greg?"

"I'm in love with her," House said, snapping his gaze to his father's. The two men stared at each other for a second before House glanced away again, finding the spot on the table more interesting. "I know I'm a little rusty when it comes to this, but I thought that was how these things worked. I thought _that_ was what mattered."

John stared at his son before releasing a large sigh, a sign that he had given up trying to talk sense into him. "Where's the head?" he asked, changing the topic to the more neutral subject of restrooms. House pointed to them briefly and his father stood and headed in the direction.

"Well," House said when his father was out of earshot. "Good thing we got that cleared up," he continued, letting his mother know how he felt about his father's questioning.

"Greg," Blythe said, placing a hand over his. "Don't listen to your father. He means well, but he doesn't know when to let up sometimes."

House gave a humorless chuckle. "Yeah, I'll say."

"I think the two of you are perfect together," Blythe said, with a soft smile. "She compliments you well. And anyone can see that she's absolutely taken with you and who can blame her? And she makes you happy. That's all that matters to me."

House looked into his mother's eyes and saw the approval he wanted, that he needed. He gave her a smile and nodded. "Thanks, Mom," he said, giving her hand a squeeze.

"It's the truth," she said, resolutely. "And don't let anyone tell you differently."

House nodded, taking his mother's words to heart. He wished he had his father's approval, but he knew the likelihood of that happening was not very high. His mother may have a passive personality and tends to avoid any confrontation between House and his father, not wanting to choose sides, but she accepted him for him and didn't think he was making a mistake.

And, for now, that was enough for House.

* * *

Later that evening, after seeing his parents off, House stretched out on his couch, one arm supporting his neck and head while the other was wrapped around Cameron as she curled up against his side, her head resting on his chest, as they watched TV together. Absently, he twirled a strand of her hair between his fingers, trying desperately not to dwell on his conversation with his father, but he was finding that difficult. Whenever his father came to visit, House tried hard to get him to be happy for him, but instead, his father always managed to make his son doubt himself.

"Do you ever…um…" House spoke, breaking the comforting, familiar silence, but hesitated completing his sentence for fear that the answer might be 'yes.'

Cameron lifted her head so she could look at him. He was staring at the ceiling, seemingly miles away. She rested her chin on her hand as she waited for him to continue. Several seconds passed with no further elaboration. "Do I ever what?" she asked softly.

House dropped his gaze to hers and held it for a few seconds. He wanted to ask if she ever regretted entering into this relationship with him. He didn't think she did and he was probably creating a problem where there wasn't one, but his father always had a knack for putting ideas in his head that he didn't want or need. The mere thought of her missing from his life made his insides squirm.

"Never mind," He grunted, pulling himself up to a sitting position and running his hands over his face tiredly.

Cameron watched him with confusion written on her face. "What's wrong?"

House sighed. "They seem perfectly pleasant, don't they?" He asked. He glanced back at Cameron, who shook her head, silently telling him she didn't know who he was talking about. "My parents," he clarified.

Cameron remained silent, not sure where he was going with this but felt that he needed to finish.

"They are. He was a Marine pilot. She was a housewife. Married forty-seven years, they had one child," House continued, occasionally looking to her as she remained silent. "Mom's just like everyone else; she's nice enough, no great sense of humor and she hates confrontation." He took a deep breath, attempting to collect his thoughts and words. "My dad is…just like you," he halted and spared a glance in her direction and spotted a puzzled expression on her face. "Not the caring till your eyes pop out part," he added, to which Cameron rolled her eyes. "Just the insane moral compass that won't let you lie to anybody about anything." House released a deep breath. "It's a great quality for Boy Scouts and police witnesses. Crappy quality for a dad."

Cameron remained silent, unsure of how to respond to this revelation. Wilson had told her that House didn't get along with his father but he had been rather vague as to the details; perhaps because even he wasn't privy to them. It was clear to her now that House craved his father's approval yet felt that he never really had it. There was something about House's demeanor that worried her. While he had opened up to her, there seemed to be a part of him that was threatening to shut down.

She scooted closer to him on the couch, until her knees touched his. "Greg, did your father say something to you?"

House shrugged. "Doesn't matter."

"Well, I think it does," she insisted. She felt House grow more uncomfortable with the situation, but she needed him to talk. "Did he say something?" she repeated, more insistent.

"Mom loves you," he said, flashing her a brief smile. "Thinks you're the best thing since sliced bread."

Cameron returned his smile but knew that he was deflecting from the topic at hand. House was silent and Cameron almost gave up on him before he finally said what was bothering him. "Dad's a bit more…old-fashioned, which is why I didn't tell him that I was your boss. He also thinks…he thinks that you could do better than me."

Cameron's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She couldn't understand how someone could tell their own son that he didn't deserve the love he had. Parents supported their children in their life endeavors, whether it be in love or their career; at least that was how she understood it to be. It was absurd and didn't make sense to her. She understood now why House had the views on life that he had, especially in the area of unconditional love. It was conditioned for him while he was growing up. She hoped that one day she would be able to change his opinion on that.

"Well, screw him," she blurted, causing House to jerk his head to her in shock. "Who cares what he says?" she asked, rhetorically. "I love you and I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me."

House stared at her for a few seconds before bursting out in laughter. Cameron gave him a smile before joining him. He pulled her in his arms and placed a kiss to her lips.

"Thank you," he said, pulling away and smiling widely.

"You're welcome," she replied, returning his smile.

**A/N: Well, there you have it… longest chapter I have ever written…Please let me know what you think… :)**


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